The Covenant of Baha'u'llah
by Adib Taherzadeh
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chapter 33 | start page | single page | chapter 35 |  |
Chapter 34
The Chief Stewards
Shoghi Effendi passed away in the sixtieth year of his life on 4 November 1957 in London, half-way through the Ten Year Crusade. His death, caused by a sudden heart attack in his sleep, came as a cruel blow to the Bahá'Ãs of the world and another test of the Covenant. This unexpected tragedy plunged the Bahá'à world into a state of utter grief and sorrow, and shook the community of the Most Great Name to its foundations. The news flashed around the world in the following cable:"Shoghi Effendi beloved of all hearts sacred trust given believers by Master passed away sudden heart attack in sleep following Asiatic flu. Urge believers remain steadfast cling institution Hands lovingly reared recently reinforced emphasized by beloved Guardian. Only oneness heart oneness purpose can befittingly testify loyalty all National Assemblies believers departed Guardian who sacrificed self utterly for service Faith.
Ruhiyyih" [34-1]
Later, the news of the funeral was cabled to the Bahá'à world:
"Beloved all hearts precious Guardian Cause God passed peacefully away yesterday after Asiatic flu. Appeal Hands National Assemblies Auxiliary Boards shelter believers assist meet heartrending supreme test. Funeral our beloved Guardian Saturday London Hands Assembly Board members invited attend any press release should state meeting Hands shortly Haifa will make arrangement to Bahá'à world regarding future plans. Urge hold memorial meetings Saturday.
Ruhiyyih" [34-2]
These two cables were sent to the Bahá'à communities from the city of Haifa, based on a policy that all communications to the Bahá'à world should be issued from its World Centre.
The information that the Hands of the Cause were to meet in Haifa to 'arrange future plans' was welcomed by the Bahá'Ãs, because the Hands were appointed by the Guardian for the protection and propagation of the Faith. They were its highest dignitaries. There were twenty-seven Hands when Shoghi Effendi passed away; no body was more suited to advise the believers of the future development of the Cause and to consider the question of a successor to Shoghi Effendi. Almost the entire Bahá'à community expected that the Will and Testament of Shoghi Effendi would announce the appointment of a successor to himself, as the Wills of Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá had done. For almost a month, the Bahá'Ãs of the world waited anxiously for news of this from the beloved and trusted Hands of the Cause, but when the news finally came, it was that the Guardian had left no Will.
Bahá'u'lláh had appointed Abdu'l-Bahá in the Kitab-i-'Ahd as the Centre of His Covenant; Abdu'l-Bahá in His turn had appointed Shoghi Effendi in the Will and Testament as Guardian of the Faith: in both cases, the faithful knew where to turn. But Shoghi Effendi did not leave a Will, and this caused some to become perplexed. Indeed, the Bahá'Ãs all over the world had taken it for granted that he would follow the same practice as Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá and appoint his successor.
That Shoghi Effendi did not write a Will was due to the circumstances of his ministry and of his life. It must be realized that he was a most meticulous person who never left anything to chance, especially in the case of such a vital issue as writing his Will and Testament to appoint a successor to himself. Only through reflection will a believer come to appreciate the wisdom and inevitability of Shoghi Effendi remaining silent on this question.
One of Bahá'u'lláh's injunctions in the Kitab-i-Aqdas is that every Bahá'à should write a Will and Testament, and that foremost in it he should bear witness to the oneness of God in the Dayspring of His Revelation, Bahá'u'lláh. This confession of faith is to be a testimony for him in both this world and the next. A Will also directs the distribution of wealth among one's heirs. As to the first requirement, Shoghi Effendi's letter entitled The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh is one of the finest declarations of faith ever written. No believer has written such an outstanding confession of his religious beliefs as Shoghi Effendi did in this remarkable document. As to the second part of a Will, which is the bequeathing of a person's wealth to his inheritors, Shoghi Effendi did not have any worldly possessions and therefore had no need to distribute them. Thus, it can be said that he carried out the commandment of Bahá'u'lláh with regard to the writing of a Will.
As to the appointment of a successor, the Master had stated in His Will and Testament that should the 'first-born' of the Guardian not inherit his spiritual qualities, he should appoint another Ghusn (Branch). The word Ghusn has been used by Bahá'u'lláh to signify His male descendants exclusively. Abdu'l-Bahá was designated as Ghusn-i-A'zam (The Most Great Branch) and Shoghi Effendi as Ghusn-i-Mumtaz (The Chosen Branch). Shoghi Effendi was not in a position to appoint a successor to himself because he had no son and there was not a single Ghusn who was faithful to the Cause of God. Every one of the descendants of Abdu'l-Bahá had been declared a Covenant-breaker.
Not only was Shoghi Effendi unable to appoint a successor to himself, but his hands were also tied in making a pronouncement about it. This is because Shoghi Effendi was the Interpreter of the Word of God. This allowed him to explain everything which was in the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá and apply their teachings and commandments within the framework of the exigencies of the time. However, what Shoghi Effendi could not do was to pronounce on subjects which were not recorded in the Holy Writings. These fell within the purview of the Universal House of Justice, which alone has the authority to legislate on matters which are not revealed by the Pen of Bahá'u'lláh or Abdu'l-Bahá. Since the Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Bahá did not indicate the course to be taken should there be no Ghusn (Branch) to succeed Shoghi Effendi, the resolution of this question did not fall within the domain of the Guardianship; it was the prerogative of the Universal House of Justice to find a solution. This is probably the main reason why Shoghi Effendi did not make any statement about his successor.
After the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh, the Bahá'à community was engulfed in a furious tempest of Covenant-breaking, a tempest which continued to rage throughout the ministry ofAbdu'l-Bahá. The faith of every believer was severely tested, and many a fainthearted individual was thrown out of the Ark of salvation — the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh. There was a similar situation after the ascension of Abdu'l-Bahá. The provisions of His Will and Testament were violated and tests encompassed the community.
After the passing of Shoghi Effendi, however, the circumstances were different. The tests which faced the believers were, in some respects, far greater than those which had descended upon the earlier believers as a result of the passing of Bahá'u'lláh or Abdu'l-Bahá. This is because this time there was no Will and Testament; Shoghi Effendi had gone, and left the believers on their own. In spite of this, the institutions of the Administrative Order, born of the Covenant, had been strengthened to such a point that practically the whole Bahá'à community over the entire surface of the globe remained loyal to the Cause and its institutions. The believers of every land remained united as one soul in many bodies, and for two years after the passing of Shoghi Effendi there was no voice of dissent anywhere. All the believers turned to the Hands of the Cause of God, and every national and local Spiritual Assembly declared their loyalty to that body. There was never in the history of the Faith a time when the believers demonstrated such unity and solidarity in spite of the uncertainty created by the circumstances resulting from the passing of Shoghi Effendi. This is indeed the best proof of the indestructibility of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh.
It is very significant that five months before he passed away, Shoghi Effendi sent a cablegram to the Bahá'à world in which he conferred upon the Hands of the Cause the responsibility of protecting the Bahá'à community. In another message one month before his passing, he referred to the Hands as 'the Chief Stewards of Bahá'u'lláh's embryonic World Commonwealth'. These two messages by Shoghi Effendi contained strong indications for the future destiny of the Cause and led the Bahá'à community to rally around the Hands after his passing. The first message was sent on 4 June 1957; here are some excerpts:
"Divinely appointed Institution of the Hands of the Cause, invested by virtue of the authority conferred by the Testament of the Centre of the Covenant with the twin functions of protecting and propagating the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, now entering new phase in the process of the unfoldment of its sacred mission. To its newly assured responsibility to assist National Spiritual Assemblies of the Bahá'à world in the specific purpose of effectively prosecuting the World Spiritual Crusade, the primary obligation to watch over and insure protection to the Bahá'à world community, in close collaboration with these same National Assemblies, is now added...
"Evidences of increasing hostility without, persistent machinations within, foreshadowing dire contests destined to range the Army of Light against the forces of darkness, both secular and religious, predicted in unequivocal language by Abdu'l-Bahá, necessitate in this crucial hour closer association of the Hands of the five continents and the bodies of the elected representatives of the national Bahá'à communities the world over for joint investigation of the nefarious activities of internal enemies and the adoption of wise, effective measures to counteract their treacherous schemes, protect the mass of the believers, and arrest the spread of their evil influence.
"Call upon Hands and National Assemblies, each continent separately, to establish henceforth direct contact and deliberate, whenever feasible, as frequently as possible, to exchange reports to be submitted by their respective Auxiliary Boards and national committees, to exercise unrelaxing vigilance and carry out unflinchingly their sacred, inescapable duties. The security of our precious Faith, the preservation of the spiritual health of the Bahá'à communities, the vitality of the faith of its individual members, the proper functioning of its laboriously erected institutions, the fruition of its worldwide enterprises, the fulfilment of its ultimate destiny, all are directly dependent upon the befitting discharge of the weighty responsibilities now resting upon the members of these two institutions, occupying, with the Universal House of Justice, next to the Institution of the Guardianship, foremost rank in the divinely ordained administrative hierarchy of the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh." [34-3]
The second letter was written in October 1957. The following passage is relevant to this subject.
"So marvellous a progress, embracing so vast a field, achieved in so short a time, by so small a band of heroic souls, well deserves, at this juncture in the evolution of a decade-long Crusade, to be signalized by, and indeed necessitates, the announcement of yet another step in the progressive unfoldment of one of the cardinal and pivotal institutions ordained by Bahá'u'lláh, and confirmed in the Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Bahá, involving the designation of yet another contingent[1] of the Hands of the Cause of God, raising thereby to thrice nine the total number of the Chief Stewards of Bahá'u'lláh's embryonic World Commonwealth, who have been invested by the unerring Pen of the Centre of His Covenant with the dual function of guarding over the security, and of ensuring the propagation, of His Father's Faith." [34-4]
[1 The last contingent consisted of eight Hands of the Cause, appointed by Shoghi Effendi in this same October message.]
The Manifestation of God gives birth to the religion of God as a mother gives birth to her child. One may observe that if the mother of a child becomes aware that she is going to die, she will entrust her infant to the care of a trustworthy nurse or other reliable person, to look after and protect him until he becomes older and able to stand on his own feet and become self-supporting. This is what Bahá'u'lláh did when He wrote the Kitab-i-'Ahd and appointed Abdu'l-Bahá to assume responsibility for the Cause of God which, in the terms of the above analogy, was passing through the stages of infancy and childhood, and needed to be nurtured and cared for. Had it not been for the divine protection vouchsafed to it in the person of Abdu'l-Bahá, the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, left on its own, would have been like an orphaned infant without a nurse, and it would have suffered the same fate as older religions did when schisms occurred and the followers divided it into many sects.
Under the guidance and loving care of Abdu'l-Bahá, the infant Faith of Bahá'u'lláh grew up protected from the onslaught of the Covenant-breakers and acquired greater strength and vitality. The message of Bahá'u'lláh reached the peoples of the East and West and, although not fully integrated, small Bahá'à communities sprung up in several countries of the world. Yet the Faith was still very young; it continued to need further protection after Abdu'l-Bahá. The child needed yet another nurse. Again the measures which had been taken by Bahá'u'lláh were adopted by Abdu'l-Bahá when He appointed Shoghi Effendi as the Guardian to nurture the tender and flourishing faith which was still vulnerable to attacks from within and without the community.
During the thirty-six years of the Guardianship, Shoghi Effendi built up the foundations of the institutions of the Administrative Order of Bahá'u'lláh which were to act as channels for the outpouring of the spiritual energies latent in His Revelation. These institutions, which derive their authority from the Kitab-i-Aqdas and from the Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Bahá, became bastions of protection for the Bahá'Ãs of the world. When Shoghi Effendi passed away, the Administrative Order was well-established. By virtue of these institutions the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh had become impregnable and the body of the believers was united and harmonized everywhere. The forces of negation which had attacked the Faith from within after the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá, and which had posed severe threats to its unity, were now impotent to penetrate the mighty stronghold of the Administrative Order which Shoghi Effendi had built up with meticulous care and with so much suffering to himself. In the terms of the above analogy, the child, though still very young, was at last able to stand on its own feet. The mother had suddenly gone without any warning, but she knew that after the preliminary shock the child would gather himself together and take the reins of affairs into his own hands. This is exactly what happened after the sudden passing of Shoghi Effendi. The Bahá'à community, having learned from the Hands of the Cause that Shoghi Effendi had left no Will, was at first shaken and dismayed, but soon it recovered and organised itself to carry on the work without a Guardian. The following are excerpts from the first letter by the Hands of the Cause addressed to the Bahá'Ãs of the world on this issue:
"Beloved Friends:
"Nine days had not yet elapsed after the interment of the sacred remains of our beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, in London, when the Hands of the Cause, to the number of twenty-six, assembled at the World Center of the Faith, in our capacity as 'Chief Stewards of the Embryonic World Commonwealth of Bahá'u'lláh', to consult together on the most tragic situation facing the Bahá'Ãs since the Ascension of Abdu'l-Bahá, and to take all necessary and appropriate measures to safeguard the highest interests of our Faith.
On November 18th the Hands conducted a Memorial Meeting at Bahji, in the Haram-i-Aqdas surrounding the most sacred Shrine in the Bahá'à world, afterward entering the Holy Tomb itself and prostrating ourselves in utter humility at the Sacred Threshold.
"On the following morning, November 19th, nine Hands of the Cause, selected from the Holy Land and the several continents of East and West, with Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum, broke the seals placed upon the beloved Guardian's safe and desk and made careful examination of their precious contents. These same Hands, rejoining the other Hands assembled in the Mansion of Bahá'u'lláh at Bahji, certified that Shoghi Effendi had left no Will and Testament. It was likewise certified that the beloved Guardian had left no heir. The Aghsan (branches) one and all are either dead or have been declared violators of the Covenant by the Guardian for their faithlessness to the Master's Will and Testament and their hostility to him named first Guardian in that sacred document.
"The first effect of the realization that no successor to Shoghi Effendi could have been appointed by him was to plunge the Hands of the Cause into the very abyss of despair. What must happen to the world community of his devoted followers if the Leader, the Inspirer, the Planner of all Bahá'à activities in all countries and islands of the seas could no longer fulfil his unique mission?
"From this dark abyss, however, contemplation of the Guardian's own life of complete sacrifice and his peerless services gradually redeemed our anguished hearts. Shoghi Effendi himself, we know, would have been the first to remind the Hands and the widespread body of the believers, that the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh has quickened those powers and resources of faith within mankind which will achieve the unity of the peoples and the triumph of His World Order. In this new light of understanding the company of the Hands could perceive with heightened gratitude the existence of those innumerable blessings which Shoghi Effendi had created and left as his true legacy to all Bahá'Ãs.
"Has not the World Centre, with its sacred Shrines and institutions, been firmly established? Has not the Message been established in 254 countries and dependencies? Have not the National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies, forerunners of the Universal House of Justice, been implanted in twenty-six great areas of all continents? Has not the Guardian left us not only his incomparable translations, for English-reading Bahá'Ãs, of the Bahá'à Sacred Literature but also his own master works of interpretation which disclose to us the unshatterable edifice of evolving Bahá'à Order and world community? Has not the Guardian, building upon the enduring foundation of the Master's Tablets of the Divine Plan, created the World Crusade to guide our work until 1963?...
"Such reflections could but, in such a world-shattering experience as all Bahá'Ãs have this month endured, reveal to us how strongly Shoghi Effendi has laid the foundations of the world order of Bahá'u'lláh through the appointments of Hands of the Cause and likewise the appointment of the International Bahá'à Council, the institution destined to evolve into the Universal House of Justice.
"In our capacity of Chief Stewards of the Embryonic World Commonwealth of Bahá'u'lláh, we Hands of the Cause have constituted a body of nine Hands to serve at the Bahá'à World Centre. This body of nine Hands will energetically deal with the protection of the Faith whenever attacks, whether from within or outside the Bahá'à community, are reported by Hands from their areas or by National or Regional Assemblies, or whether they arise within the Holy Land. Correspondence will likewise be maintained with the Hands of the Cause working in the several continents. This same body will correspond with National Assemblies on matters connected with the prosecution of the objectives of the Ten Year Plan. On matters involving administrative questions this same body will assist National Assemblies by citing those passages of the Bahá'à Sacred Literature which direct the Assemblies to a sound solution.
"As to the International Bahá'à Council, appointed by the Guardian and heralded in his communications to the Bahá'à world, that body will in the course of time finally fulfil its purpose through the formation of the Universal House of Justice, that supreme body upon which infallibility, as the Master's Testament assures us, is divinely conferred: 'The source of all good and freed from all error'...
"Meanwhile the entire body of the Hands assembled by the nine Hands of the World Centre will decide when and how the International Bahá'à Council is to evolve through the successive stages outlined by the Guardian, culminating in the call to election of the Universal House of Justice by the membership of all National Spiritual Assemblies.
"When that divinely ordained body comes into existence, all the conditions of the Faith can be examined anew and the measures necessary for its future operation determined on consultation with the Hands of the Cause..." [34-5]
The believers faithfully rallied around the Hands of the Cause, who now assumed the function of guiding the Bahá'à world. All National Spiritual Assemblies declared their loyalty to the Hands and turned to that institution with devotion. The nine Hands appointed to serve at the World Centre were referred to as Custodians of the Faith. From the outset, the Hands made it clear to the Bahá'Ãs that, unlike the Guardian and the Universal House of Justice, they were not promised infallible guidance. The only way that they could carry out their responsibilities satisfactorily was to follow faithfully the provisions of the Ten Year Plan as delineated by the Guardian. In this way, there was no danger of misguiding the community.
The greatest achievement of the Hands in this period is that they did not deviate a hair's breadth from the teachings and guidance of Shoghi Effendi. For more than five years they held the reins of the Cause in their hands. This period may be regarded as the most critical stage in the history of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. From the day the Faith was born until the passing of Shoghi Effendi, divine protection had been vouchsafed to the community. For one hundred and thirteen years, the infant Faith of Bahá'u'lláh had been nurtured by the infallible guidance of its Central Figures[1] and its Guardian. But now it was entrusted to the care of a number of religious leaders, the Hands of the Cause, who did not have this promise of divine guidance.
[1 The Bab, Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá.]
It was a period fraught with dangers. Similar to subjecting a newly-built airplane to a series of rigorous tests in order to be sure that it works properly, the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh was severely tested during these six years and found to be absolutely impregnable. The Custodianship of the Hands was itself a proof of the invincibility of the Covenant, in that, unlike the leaders of former religions who introduced many man-made practices into the teachings of their Prophets, the Hands of the Cause added not even a single dot to the Cause, nor did they introduce any innovation into the workings of its institutions. They guided the Bahá'à community strictly in accordance with the Holy Text and the writings of the Guardian. Their responses to questions from the National Spiritual Assemblies or individuals were based on the Holy Writings, and if they could not find the answer in the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh or Abdu'l-Bahá or letters of Shoghi Effendi, they strictly refrained from making any pronouncement. Such questions were left for the future to be determined by the Universal House of Justice.
The Hands acted with such loyalty that when they handed over the Cause of God, pure and unadulterated, to the elected body of the Universal House of Justice in 1963 the whole Bahá'à world acclaimed their devotion. This generation and generations yet unborn owe the Hands of the Cause an immeasurable debt of gratitude. Through their faithfulness they took charge of the Ark of the Covenant from the hands of the Guardian, steered it for over five years through treacherous waters, brought it safely to the shores of salvation and humbly delivered it into the hands of the Universal House of Justice.
This period witnessed the emergence of a new brand of Covenant-breakers, headed by Mason Remey, who had himself been appointed a Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi and was one of the signatories of the first declaration of the Hands issued after the passing of Shoghi Effendi. In order to appreciate the genesis of this rebellion against the Covenant, we must look back at the Bahá'à community as it was then. At that time there were some believers who thought that the Faith must always have a Guardian. This belief was partly due to the following statement by Shoghi Effendi in The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh:
"An attempt, I feel, should at the present juncture be made to explain the character and functions of the twin pillars that support this almighty Administrative Structure — the institutions of the Guardianship and of the Universal House of Justice...
"It should be stated, at the very outset, in clear and unambiguous language, that these twin institutions of the Administrative Order of Bahá'u'lláh 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 which 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, co-ordinate 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. These are neither contradictory, nor detract in the slightest degree from the position which each of these institutions occupies. Far from being incompatible or mutually destructive, they supplement each other's authority and functions, and are permanently and fundamentally united in their aims.
"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 had written, has been invariably upheld by the Law of God. 'In all the Divine Dispensations', He states, in a Tablet addressed to a follower of the Faith in Persia, 'the eldest son hath been given extraordinary distinctions. Even the station of prophethood hath been his birthright'. Without such an institution 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, an 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. "Severed from the no less essential institution of the Universal House of Justice this same System of the Will of Abdu'l-Bahá would be paralyzed in its action and would be powerless to fill in those gaps which the Author of the Kitab-i-Aqdas has deliberately left in the body of His legislative and administrative ordinances." [34-6]
When it became clear that Shoghi Effendi had not appointed a successor to himself, some Bahá'Ãs failed to appreciate the true significance of the above statement by Shoghi Effendi. Because they had not understood the spirit of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh, they insisted that a second Guardian must be created. Mason Remey, an ambitious individual, became the candidate, and with constant encouragement by a few equally ambitious men he claimed in 1960 that he was the successor of Shoghi Effendi. Sadly however, this was like trying to make a flower from paper and pretend that it was real.
Abdu'l-Bahá in His Will and Testament extolled Shoghi Effendi as the 'Sign of God', the 'Chosen Branch', the 'blest and sacred bough that hath branched out from the Twin Holy Trees', 'the most wondrous, unique and priceless pearl that doth gleam from out the Twin surging seas'. Such a being was created by God especially to become the Guardian of the Cause, and his appointment was made by the Centre of the Covenant Himself. He was a descendant both of Bahá'u'lláh and of the family of the Bab. How could a few individuals who looked for leadership and sought power for their own selfish interests raise up a lesser man to the station of the Guardianship? In His Will and Testament, Abdu'l-Bahá has laid down the conditions that Shoghi Effendi's successor must be either the 'first-born' of the Guardian or another Ghusn (male descendant of Bahá'u'lláh), and that the Hands of the Cause must give their assent to his choice. How could Mason Remey fulfil these conditions? It is interesting to note that, in a Tablet to the Hand of the Cause of God, Mulla Ali-Akbar, Abdu'l-Bahá makes this important statement.
"...for Abdu'l-Bahá is in a tempest of dangers and infinitely abhors differences of opinion... Praise be to God, there are no grounds for differences."
"The Bab, the Exalted One, is the Morn of Truth, the splendour of Whose light shineth through all regions. He is also the Harbinger of the Most Great Light, the Abha Luminary. The Blessed Beauty is the One promised by the sacred books of the past, the revelation of the Source of light that shone upon Mount Sinai, Whose fire glowed in the midst of the Burning Bush. We are one and all, servants of Their threshold, and stand each as a lowly keeper at Their door...
"My purpose is this, that ere the expiration of a thousand years, no one has the right to utter a single word, even to claim the station of Guardianship. The most Holy Book is the Book to which all peoples shall refer, and in it the Laws of God have been revealed. Laws not mentioned in the Book should be referred to the decision of the Universal House of Justice. There will be no grounds for difference... Beware, beware lest anyone create a rift or stir up sedition." [34-7]
After Mason Remey made his absurd claim, the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land tried their utmost to bring him to his senses. But in his delusion, he persisted on his errant course and consequently he and those few who followed him were announced as Covenant-breakers.[1] The Bahá'à community was once again purged by this process; the impurities which would have imposed dire afflictions upon the Faith had they been allowed to remain within the fold, were cast out, resulting in revitalization of the body of the Cause of God.
[1 See Appendix 2.]
This episode of Covenant-breaking by Mason Remey was one of the flimsiest of all rebellions in the history of the Faith. It did not take very long until a number of those who had been misled by him realized their mistake, repented and returned to the community or withdrew from the Faith altogether. Mason Remey's efforts to form a following for himself failed miserably. After his death, serious rivalries broke out between his lieutenants who claimed to be his successors. The divinely-ordained instruments serving the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh have been so strengthened today that the efforts of this group of Covenant-breakers have become null and void, and the power of the Covenant has driven them into oblivion.
Concerning the statement by Shoghi Effendi quoted above: 'Divorced from the institution of the Guardianship, the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh would be mutilated', it must be emphasized that although there are no more Guardians after Shoghi Effendi, the institution of the Guardianship will always exist. Consider for example, that when the Prophet leaves this world, the position He occupies within His religion is not lost. For instance, Bahá'u'lláh is the Author of the Faith. Access to Him during His ministry was mainly through His Writings. It is the same after His ascension, He will always be the Author of the Faith, and the way to approach Him is through His Writings. Likewise, Abdu'l-Bahá will always be the Centre of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh. The fact that He has ascended to the next world does not alter His position in the Faith. In order to turn to Him, one must turn to His Writings.
It is the same with the institution of the Guardianship. Shoghi Effendi is the Guardian of the Faith. During his ministry the believers received guidance through his writings and continue to do so after his passing. The institution of the Guardianship will always serve as a pillar supporting the mighty structure of the Administrative Order, regardless of whether the Guardian is living or not. The writings of Shoghi Effendi will continue to guide and sustain the ever-advancing community of the Most Great Name. Today, the Universal House of Justice, before taking decisions on various matters whether in the field of legislation or administration, consults the writings of Shoghi Effendi and is guided by the vast body of his letters, in which he has elucidated almost every conceivable subject. Thus, far from being divorced from the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, the institution of the Guardianship plays a preponderating role now and for ever, in conjunction with the institution of the Universal House of Justice, in guiding and directing the Bahá'à community toward its ultimate goal — the establishment of the oneness of mankind on this planet.
In their search to find an alternative solution to fill the vacancy after Shoghi Effendi, a few believers came up with the erroneous theory that the institution of the Hands of the Cause of God was part of the institution of the Guardianship and therefore the Hands would carry forward the function of the Guardianship. This concept is entirely baseless; there is nothing in the Holy Text or the writings of Shoghi Effendi to support it. The relationship that the Hands had with the Guardian was that they were appointed by him for the purpose of serving the Cause under his direction. The mere fact that the Hands were appointed by Shoghi Effendi does not entitle them to become part of the institution of the Guardianship. Otherwise, the members of the International Bahá'à Council, who were also appointed by Shoghi Effendi, should similarly become part of that institution. Nowhere do we find any authoritative text to support such an idea. Indeed, the Hands of the Cause served under the Guardian during his lifetime and continue today to serve under the direction of the present-day Head of the Faith, the Universal House of Justice.
Only a lack of proper comprehension of the verities of the Faith, coupled with insatiable ambition, could have led Mason Remey to claim that Shoghi Effendi's statement about mutilation of the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh implied that the line of Guardians must not be broken. A more profound understanding of the workings of religion in general, and a deeper study of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh in particular, reveals a different view altogether. The appearance of the Manifestation of God is similar to the advent of the springtime in nature which infuses new life into all living organisms. The Founder of a religion releases spiritual forces which are capable of quickening the souls of men. But every springtime has a limited duration. In nature the four seasons inevitably follow one another; spring is followed by summer, when the fruit appears. The spring season does not last for ever; if it did, it would become counterproductive. Likewise, the outpouring of divine revelation continues for a relatively short period in each Dispensation. It then ceases, and for the rest of that Dispensation man responds of his own volition to these spiritual forces and develops the powers which are latent within him. For instance, the springtime of Christianity was about three years, during which Christ preached His mission. Divine guidance ceased with His crucifixion, and there was no guidance coming from on high until the advent of the Prophet of Islam. The ministry of Muhammad lasted for twenty-three years, following which eleven Imams were the channels of guidance until the year 260 AH. After that the nation of Islam was left without divine guidance until the coming of the Bab one thousand lunar years later in 1260 AH (1844 AD). The history of religion shows that there has always been a break in divine guidance amounting to hundreds of years until the next Manifestation of God appears.
That Abdu'l-Bahá in His Will and Testament makes provision for a successor to Shoghi Effendi does not necessarily mean that there will be one. The Will is a comprehensive document which must be capable of dealing with all eventualities. In it, Abdu'l-Bahá makes a covenant with the believers, and therefore, some of its provisions may not be realized. For there are two parties to a covenant, in this case, Abdu'l-Bahá and the believers. The fulfilment of the terms of this covenant therefore depends on the actions and attitudes of the followers and on the circumstances relating to the Cause. In this connection, the Universal House of Justice states:
"Future Guardians are clearly envisaged and referred to in the Writings, but there is nowhere any promise or guarantee that the line of Guardians would endure forever; on the contrary there are clear indications that the line could be broken. Yet, in spite of this, there is a repeated insistance in the Writings on the indestructibility of the Covenant and the immutability of God's Purpose for this Day.
"One of the most striking passages which envisage the possibility of such a break in the line of Guardians is in the Kitab-i-Aqdas itself:
'The endowments dedicated to charity revert to God, the Revealer of Signs. No one has the right to lay hold on them without leave from the Dawning-Place of Revelation. After Him the decision rests with the Aghsan (Branches), and after them with the House of Justice — should it be established in the world by then — so that they may use these endowments for the benefit of the Sites exalted in this Cause, and for that which they have been commanded by God, the Almighty, the All-Powerful. Otherwise the endowments should be referred to the people of Baha, who speak not without His leave and who pass no judgment but in accordance with that which God has ordained in this Tablet, they who are the champions of victory betwixt heaven and earth, so that they may spend them on that which has been decreed in the Holy Book by God, the Mighty, the Bountiful.'
"The passing of Shoghi Effendi in 1957 precipitated the very situation provided for in this passage, in that the line of Aghsan ended before the House of Justice had been elected. Although, as is seen, the ending of the line of Aghsan at some stage was provided for, we must never underestimate the grievous loss that the Faith has suffered. God's purpose for mankind remains unchanged, however, and the mighty Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh remains impregnable." [34-8]
The above passage in the Kitab-i-Aqdas was prophetic, in that a period of over five years separated the passing of Shoghi Effendi from the establishment of the Universal House of Justice, and the Hands of the Cause during this period — 'the people of Baha who speak not without His leave' — fulfilled the last provision stated in the above text.
Those few who gathered around Mason Remey and others who in recent times have taken his place, have tried to justify their rebellion against the Covenant. They misled themselves by interpreting the word 'branch' mentioned in the Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Bahá concerning a successor to Shoghi Effendi. They claimed that since Bahá'u'lláh referred to human beings as 'the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch', therefore any believer was a branch who could succeed Shoghi Effendi. This assumption was made either through self-deception, or was due to ignorance, or maybe both. The fact of the matter is that the word Ghusn (branch) which has been used by Bahá'u'lláh exclusively to refer to his male descendants, is Arabic, while the other is Persian, and is another word entirely. Both are translated as 'branch'. Furthermore, in neither language are there capital letters.[1]
[1 For more information see Appendix 2.]
Before Mason Remey's preposterous claim, the wisdom of the words Abdu'l-Bahá in His Will and Testament that the Hands of the Cause 'must give their assent to the choice of the one whom the Guardian of the Cause of God hath chosen as his successor' was not clear to many. But after Remey's defection, it became clear that this requirement was a means for the protection of the Cause of God. If there was to be a successor to Shoghi Effendi, he needed the approval of the Hands, and Mason Remey did not have this.
Propelled by the forces of the Covenant, the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh during the custodianship of the Hands of the Cause of God, advanced to such an extent as to eclipse the victories which had been won in preceding decades. The teaching work in five continents of the globe was intensified as the believers exerted themselves to win the goals of the Ten Year Crusade which the Guardian had formulated. Great numbers entered the Faith, especially in Africa, Latin America and Asia. In the sub-continent of India, tens of thousands swelled the number of believers when large-scale entry by troops was experienced by the Bahá'à community there. The number of local Spiritual Assemblies, the bedrock upon which the National Spiritual Assemblies were established, increased enormously throughout the world. More National Spiritual Assemblies were also formed during the remaining years of the Ten Year Crusade.
In 1961 the Hands of the Cause arranged for the election of the International Bahá'à Council, the forerunner of the Universal House of Justice. The electors were members of the National Spiritual Assemblies which were functioning at the time in the five continents of the globe. The International Bahá'à Council, whose members had been appointed by the Guardian was now transformed into an elected body.
The call for the election of the Universal House of Justice was made by the Hands of the Cause in their message of 5 November 1961 to the Bahá'à world. The following are excerpts from this message:
"With the erection in 1962 of twelve more future pillars[1] of that supreme legislative Body of the Bahá'à World, a firm foundation will have been laid for the election of 'that Universal House of Justice which', Shoghi Effendi stated, 'as its title implies, is to be the exponent and guardian of the Divine Justice which can alone insure the security of, and establish the reign of law and order in a strangely disordered world.'
[1 National Spiritual Assemblies. These twelve National Spiritual Assemblies (11 in Europe, 1 in Ceylon) brought the number of National Spiritual Assemblies in the world up to 56.]
"We are now able to envisage the steps that must still be taken before that 'Ark' referred to in Bahá'u'lláh's prophetic Tablet of Carmel shall come into being, an ark whose dwellers, the Guardian told us, 'are the men of the Supreme House of Justice which, in conformity with the exact provisions of the Will and Testament of the Centre of the mighty Covenant, is the Body which should legislate on laws not explicitly revealed in the text. In this Dispensation these laws are destined to flow from this holy Mountain, even as in the Mosaic Dispensation the law of God was promulgated from Zion.'
"The Chief Stewards of the Faith are therefore calling a convention in the Holy Land for the election of the Universal House of Justice on the first, second and third days of Ridvan, 1963. The members of all National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies elected by the Bahá'Ãs in Ridvan, 1962, will, in conformity with the teachings, constitute the electoral body empowered to vote for this crowning unit of the embryonic World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, upon whose deliberations the unique bounty of receiving divine inspiration has been bestowed, and whose decisions are infallibly guided by both the Bab and Bahá'u'lláh.
"After long and conscientious consideration of the needs of the present hour and the writings of our dearly-loved Guardian, the following decision has been reached: All male voting members throughout the Bahá'à World are eligible for election to the Universal House of Justice. The Hands of the Cause do not limit the freedom of the electors. However, as they have been given the explicit duties of guarding over the security and insuring the propagation of the Faith, they ask the electors to leave them free at this time to discharge their duties. When that supreme infallible Body has been elected it will decide on all matters concerning its own membership."
On 21 April 1963, exactly one hundred years after the declaration of Bahá'u'lláh in the Garden of Ridvan in Baghdad, the members of fifty-six National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world took part in the election of the Universal House of Justice. The voting took place in the home of Abdu'l-Bahá in Haifa, in a profoundly spiritual atmosphere. Thus the sailing of the Ark upon Mount Carmel, prophesied by Bahá'u'lláh, took place and the House of Justice came into being. It was a moment of relief and supreme joy for the members of the National Spiritual Assemblies and the Hands of the Cause to witness the birth of an institution which was to be the source of divine guidance until the end of this Dispensation. On the occasion of this momentous day the Hands of the Cause, on 22 April 1963, sent the following message to the Bahá'à communities throughout the world.
"Occasion worldwide celebrations Most Great Jubilee commemorating centenary ascension Bahá'u'lláh throne His sovereignty with hearts overflowing gratitude His unfailing protection overflowing bounties joyously announce friends East West election supreme legislative body ordained by Him in His Most Holy Book promised by Him receive His infallible guidance. Members first historic House Justice duly elected by delegates comprising members fifty six National Assemblies are Charles Wolcott Ali Nakhjavani Borrah Kavelin Ian Semple Lotfullah Hakim David Hofman Hugh Chance Amoz Gibson Hushmand Fath-i-'Azam.
"To jubilation entire Bahá'à world victorious completion beloved Guardian's unique Crusade now added humble gratitude profound thanksgiving followers Bahá'u'lláh for erection Universal House Justice august body to whom all believers must turn whose destiny is to guide unfoldment His embryonic World Order through administrative institutions prescribed by Bahá'u'lláh elaborated by Abdu'l-Bahá laboriously erected by Shoghi Effendi and ensure early dawn golden age Faith when the Word of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (signed) Handsfaith. April 22nd, 1963."
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