Baha'i+Charter

= Baha'i Charter: The Charter of the Baha'i Faith =

Kitab-i-Ahdas appearing linked to on this BUPC Council page [|also translated here] from [|the book Tablets of Baha'u'llah] also [|readable online]

//**(THE BOOK OF THE EVERLASTING [|COVENANT OF GOD])**//

//**1 Although the Most High Horizon is devoid of trivial possessions of the earth, we have nevertheless bequeathed unto our heirs a noble and peerless heritage within the treasure-house of trust and resignation.**// //**2 We have left no treasure, nor have We added to man's pains.**// //**3 By the life of God! In earthly riches fear is hidden and peril is concealed. Consider, then take warning by what the God of Mercy hath revealed in the Qur'an: "Woe unto those who malign and speak evil of their fellows; who hoard earthly goods and count their riches." [__1__]**// //**4 Earthly possessions are unstable; wherefore whatsoever passeth or suffereth vicissitudes is unworthy of regard except to a limited measure.**// //**5 In bearing hardships and tribulations and in revealing verses and expounding proofs, it has been the purpose of this oppressed One to extinguish the fire of hate and animosity, that, haply, the horizons of the hearts of mankind be illumined with the light of concord and attain real tranquillity.**// //**6 The light of the following utterance shineth from the horizon of the Divine Tablet, which should be observed by all: Oh people of the world! I counsel you to act in a manner which shall tend to elevate your stations. Cling to divine virtue and obey the divine law. Truly I say, the tongue is for mentioning what is good; do not defile it by evil speech. "God hath forgiven your past ways." You must henceforth speak that which is worthy. Shun reviling, maligning, and whatsoever will offend your fellow men.**// //**7 Man's station is great. Ere this, the following exalted words have flowed forth from the pen of Abha:**// //**8 This is a Day great and blessed. Whatsoever is hidden in man is today being revealed. The station of man is great, were he to cling to truth and righteousness and be firm and steadfast in the Cause. Before the God of Mercy, a true man appears like unto heaven. The sun and moon of that heaven are his sight and hearing, and its stars are his shining attributes. His station is the highest and his signs are the educator of the world.**// //**9 In this Day, every believer who discovered the fragrance of the garment and turned with a pure heart, unto the Elyon Nirvana is indeed recorded in the Crimson Tablet as of the people of the Baha. **// //**10 Hold the chalice of My grace in My name. Then drain it in My mention, the El, the wonderful!**// //**11 O people of the world! The religion of God is to create love and unity; do not make it the cause of enmity or discord. All that is regarded by men of insight and the people of the most lofty outlook as the means for safeguarding and effecting the peace and tranquillity of man, has flowed from the Supreme Pen. But the ignorant ones who are the victim of self and desire, are heedless of the consummate wisdom of the truly Wise One, and their words and deeds are the prompted by fancy and superstition.**// //**12 O ye chosen of God and His trusted ones! Kings are the manifestors of God's power and the source of His majesty and affluence. Pray ye on their behalf. The government of the earth hath been vouchsafed unto them.But the hearts of men He decreed unto Himself. He forbade conflict and strife -- a rigid prohibition in the Book. This is a Decree of God in this most great Manifestion; and God hath preserved it from annulment and it with the broidered garment of confirmation. Verily, He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise!**// //**13 It is incumbent upon everyone to aid those daysprings of authority and sources of command who are adorned with the ornament of equity and justice. Blessed are the rulers and learned among the people of Baha. They are my trustees among My servants and the manifestations of My commandments amidst My people. Upon them rest my glory, My blessings and My grace which have pervaded the world of being. In this connection the utterances revealed in the Kitab-i-Aqdas are such that from the horizon of their words the light of divine grace shineth luminous and resplendant.**// //**14 O My Branches! A mighty power and supreme potency is hidden and concealed in the world being. Focus your gaze upon it and upon the direction of its unity, not upon the differences which are apparent therein.**// //**15 God's Will and Testament enjoins upon the branches, the twigs, and the kinsfolk, one and all, to gaze upon the most great Branch. Consider what We have revealed in My Book of Aqdas, to wit:**// //**16 "When the sea of My Presence is exhausted and the Book of Origin hath reached its end, turn you unto him [|('Abdu'l-Baha)] who is desired by God -- He Who is issued from this Ancient Root."**// //**17 The purpose of this sacred verse is the most great Branch. Thus have We declared the matter as a favor on Our part, and We are the Gracious, the Beneficient!**// //**18 God hath, verily, decreed the station of the great Branch to be beneath that of the most great Branch. Verily, He is the wise ordainer. We have chosen [|el-Akbar] after the [|el'A'sam], as a command on the part of God, the All-Knowing, the Omniscient.**// //**19 All must regard the other Branches with affection, but God hath not decreed unto them any right to the people's property.**// //**20 Oh my Branches, my Twigs, and my kinsfolk! I counsel you to manifest divine virtue, and to act in accord with the Law and with whatsoever is befitting and will elevate your stations.**// //**21 Truly I say, virtue is the greatest commander which leads the Cause of God to victory, and the legions which deserve this commander are pure, sanctified and praiseworthy deeds and attributes.**// //**22 Say: O servants! Do not make the cause of order a cause of disorder, nor the means of unity a means for disunity. It is hoped that the people of Baha will observe the sacred verse: "Say, all are created by God." This lofty utterance is like unto water for quenching the fire of hate and hostility which is hidden and stored in mens hearts and minds. This single utterance will cause the various sects and creeds to attain the light of true unity. Verily He speaketh truth and guideth to the right path; and He is the Mighty, the Glorious, the Omnipotent.**// //**23 For the honor of the Cause and the promotion of the Word -- it is necessary that all shall respect and have regard for the Branches. This command has been recorded once and again in the divine Book. Blessed is he who obeys whatsoever hath been ordained on the part of God, the ancient ruler. All shall also have respect for the women-members of Our household and for the Afnan and the kinsfolk. We likewise counsel you to serve mankind and bring peace to the world.**// //**24 All that leads to the quickening of the peoples and the salvation of the world hath been revealed from the kingdom of utterance by the Lord of mankind. hearken to the exhortations of the Supreme Pen with ideal ears. These are preferable unto you above all that is upon the earth. Whereunto beareth witness my Book, the Blessed the Glorious!**// //**1. Qur'an 104:1-2**// //**He is Eternal in His Abha Horizon!**// //**Verily, the Cause of God hath come upon the clouds of utterances and the polytheists are in this day in great torment! Verily, the hosts of revelation have descended with banners of inspiration from the heaven of the Tablet in the name of God, the powerful, the mighty! At this time the monotheists all rejoice in the victory of God and His dominion, and the deniers will then be in manifest perplexity.**// //**O ye people! Do ye flee from the mercy of God after it has encompassed the existent things created between the heavens and earths? Beware lest ye prefer your own selves before the mercy of God, and deprive not yourselves thereof! Verily, whosoever turneth away therefrom will be in great loss. Verily, mercy is like unto verses which have descended from the one heaven, and from them the monotheists drink the choice wine of life, whilst the polytheists drink from the fiery water; and when the verses of God are read to them, the fire of hatred is enkindled within their breasts. Thus have they preferred their own selves before the mercy of God, and are of those who are heedless.**// //**Enter, O people, beneath the shelter of the Word! Then drink therefrom the choice wine of inner significances and utterances; for therein is hidden the kawther of the glorious One--and it hath appeared from the horizon of the Will of your Lord, the merciful, with wonderful lights.**// //**Say: Verily, the ocean of pre-existence hath branched forth from this most great Ocean. Blessed, therefore, is he who abides upon Its shores, and is of those who are established thereon. Verily, this most sacred temple of Abha--the Branch of Holiness--hath branched forth from the Sadratu'l-Muntaha. Blessed is whosoever sought shelter beneath it and is of those who rest therein.**// //**Say: Verily, the branch of command hath sprung forth from this root which God hath firmly planted in the ground of the will, the limb of which has been elevated to a station which encompasses all existence. There, exalted be He for this creation, the lofty, the blessed, the inaccessible, the mighty!**// //**O ye people! Draw nigh unto It, and taste the fruits of its knowledge and wisdom on the part of the mighty, the knowing One. Whosoever will not taste thereof shall be deprived of the bounty, even though he hath partaken of all that is in the earth--were ye of those who know.**// //**Say: Verily a word hath gone forth in favor from the most great Tablet and God has adorned It with the mantle of Himself, and made it sovereign over all in the earth and a sign of His grandeur and omnipotence among the creatures; in order that, through it, the people shall praise their Lord, the mighty, the powerful, the wise; and that, through it, they shall glorify their creator and sanctify the self of God which standeth within all things. Verily, this is naught but a Revelation upon the part of the wise, the ancient One!**// //**Say: O people, praise ye God, for its Manifestation, for verily it is the most great favor upon you and the most perfect blessing upon you; and through Him every moldering bone is quickened. Whosoever turns to Him hath surely turned unto God, and whosoever turneth away from Him hath turned away from My beauty, denied My proof and is of those who transgress. Verily, He is the remembrance of God amongst you and His trust within you, and His manifestation unto you and His appearance among the servants who are nigh. Thus have I been commanded to convey you the message of God, your Creator; and I have delivered to you that of which I was commanded. Whereupon, thereunto testifieth God, then His angels, then His messengers, and then His holy servants.**// //**Inhale the fragrances of the Ridvan from His roses and be not of those who are deprived. Appreciate the bounty of God upon you and be not veiled therefrom--and, verily, We have sent Him forth in the temple of man. Thus praise ye the Lord, the Originator of whatsoever He willeth through His wise and inviolable Command!**// //**Verily, those who withold themselves from the shelter of the Branch are indeed lost in the wilderness of perplexity; and are consumed by the heat of self-desire, and are of those who perish.**// //**Hasten, O people, unto the shelter of God, in order that He may protect you from the heat of the Day whereon none shall find for himself any refuge or shelter except beneath the shelter of His Name, the clement, the forgiving! Clothe yourselves, O people, with the garment of assurance, in order that He may protect you from the dart of doubts and superstitions, and that ye may be of those who are assured in those days wherein none shall ever be assured and none shall be firmly established in the Cause, except by severing himself from all that is possessed by the people and turning unto the holy and radiant Outlook.**// //**O ye people! Do ye take unto yourselves the Jebt as a helper other than God, and do ye seek the Taghoot as a Lord besides your Lord the almighty, the omnipotent? Forsake, O people, their mention, then hold the chalice of life in the Name of your Lord, the merciful. Verily, by God, the existent world is quickened through a drop thereof, were ye of those who know.**// //**Say: In that Day there is no refuge for any one save the command of God, and no salvation for any soul but God. Verily, this is the truth and there is naught after truth but manifest error.**// //**Verily, God hath made it incumbent upon every soul to deliver His Cause according to his ability. Thus hath the command been recorded by the finger of might and power upon the Tablet of majesty and greatness.**// //**Whosoever quickens one soul in this Cause is like unto one quickening all the servants and the Lord shall bring him forth in the day of resurrection into the Ridvan of oneness, adorned with the Mantle of Himself, the protector, the mighty, the generous! Thus will ye assist your Lord, and naught else save this shall ever be mentioned in this day before God, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers.**// //**As to thee, O servant, hearken unto the admonition given unto thee in the Tablet; then seek the grace of they Lord at all times. Then spread the Tablet among those who believe in God and in His verses; so that they may follow that which is contained therein, and be of those who are praiseworthy.**// //**Say: O people, cause no corruption in the earth and dispute not with men; for, verily, this is not worthy of those who have chosen in the shelter of their Lord a station which shall indeed remain secure.**// //**If ye find one athirst, give him to drink from the chalice of Kawtha and Tasneen; and if ye find one endowed with an attentive ear, read unto him the verses of God, the mighty, the merciful, the compassionate! Unloose the tongue with excellent utterance, then admonish the people if ye find them advancing unto the sanctuary of God; otherwise abandon them unto themselves and forsake them in the abyss of hell. Beware lest ye scatter the pearls of inner significance before every barren, dumb one. Verily, the blind are deprived of witnessing the lights and are unable to distinguish between the stone and the holy, precious pearl.**// //**Verily, wert thou to read the most mighty, wonderful verses to the stone for a thousand years, will it understand, or will they take any effect therein? No! by thy Lord, the merciful, the clement! If thou readest all the verses of God unto the deaf, will he hear a single letter? No! Verily, by the beauty, the mighty, the ancient!**// //**Thus have We delivered unto thee some of the jewels of wisdom and utterance, in order that thou mayest gaze unto the direction of thy Lord and be severed from all the creatures. May the spirit and glory rest upon thee, and upon those who dwell upon the plain of holiness and who remain in the Cause of their Lord in manifest steadfastness!**// ||
 * //**[|//**TABLET OF THE BRANCH**//]**//

[|//**The Covenant of Abdu'l-Baha**//]

**//[|The TESTAMENT] of //** [|**//'A//**][|**//BDU'L-BAHÁ//**]

**//He Is the Witness, the All Sufficing //** **//44. O my God! my Beloved, my heart's Desire! Thou knowest, Thou seest that which hath befallen this servant of Thine, that hath humbled himself at Thy Door, and Thou knowest the sins committed against him by the people of malice, they that have broken Thy Covenant and turned their backs on Thy Testament. In the day-time they afflicted me with the arrows of hate and in the night-season they privily conspired to hurt me. At dawn they committed that which the Celestial Concourse did lament and at eventide they unsheathed against me the sword of tyranny and hurled in the presence of the ungodly their darts of calumny upon me. Notwithstanding their misdeeds, this lowly servant of Thine was patient and did endure every affliction and trial at their hands, though by Thy power and might he could have destroyed their words, quenched their fire and stayed the flame of their rebelliousness. //** **//45. Thou seest, O my God! how my long-suffering, my forbearance and silence have increased their cruelty, their arrogance and their pride. By Thy Glory, O Beloved One! They have misbelieved in Thee and rebelled against Thee in such wise that they left me not a moment of rest and quiet, that I might arise as it is meet and seemly, to exalt Thy Word amidst mankind, and might serve at Thy Threshold of Holiness with a heart that overfloweth with the joy of the dwellers of the Abhá Kingdom. //** **//46. Lord! My cup of woe runneth over, and from all sides blows are fiercely raging upon me. The darts of affliction have compassed me round and the arrows of distress have rained upon me. Thus tribulation overwhelmed me and my strength, because of the onslaught of the foemen, became weakness within me, while I stood alone and forsaken in the midst of my woes. Lord! Have mercy upon me, lift me up unto Thyself and make me to drink from the Chalice of Martyrdom, for the wide world with all its vastness can no longer contain me. //** **//47. Thou art, verily, the Merciful, the Compassionate, the Gracious, the All-Bountiful! //** **//48. O ye the true, the sincere, the faithful friends of this wronged one! Everyone knoweth and believeth what calamities and afflictions have befallen this wronged one, this prisoner, at the hands of those who have broken the Covenant at the time when, after the setting of the Day-Star of the world, his heart was consumed with the flame of His bereavement. //** **//49. When, in all parts of the earth, the enemies of God profiting by the passing of the Sun of Truth, suddenly and with all their might launched their attack; at such a time and in the midst of so great a calamity, the Covenant-breakers arose with the utmost cruelty, intent upon harm and the stirring up of the spirit of enmity. At every moment a misdeed they did commit and bestirred themselves to sow the seeds of grievous sedition, and to ruin the edifice of the Covenant. But this wronged one, this prisoner, did his utmost to hide and veil their doings, that haply they might regret and repent. His long-suffering and forbearance of these evil deeds, however, made the rebellious ones still more arrogant and daring; until, through leaflets written with their own hands, they sowed the seeds of doubt, printing these leaflets and scattering them broadcast throughout the world, believing that such foolish doings would bring to naught the Covenant and the Testament. //** **//50. Thereupon the loved ones of the Lord arose, inspired with the greatest confidence and constancy and aided by the power of the Kingdom, by Divine Strength, by heavenly Grace, by the unfailing help and Celestial Bounty, they with stood the enemies of the Covenant in well-nigh three score and ten treatises and supported by conclusive proof, unmistakable evidences and clear texts from the Holy Writ, they refuted their scrolls of doubt and mischief-kindling leaflets. The Center of Sedition was thus confounded in his craftiness, afflicted by the wrath of God, sunk into a degradation and infamy that shall be lasting until the Day of Doom. Base and wretched is the plight of the people of evil deeds, they that are in grievous loss! //** **//51. And as they lost their cause, grew hopeless in their efforts against the loved ones of God, saw the Standard of His Testament waving throughout all regions and witnessed the power of the Covenant of the Merciful One, the flame of envy so blazed within them as to be beyond recounting. With the utmost vigor, exertion, rancor and enmity, they followed another path, walked in another way, devised an other plan: that of kindling the flame of sedition in the heart of the very government itself, and thus caused this wronged one, this prisoner to appear as a mover of strife, inimical to the government and a hater and opponent of the crown. Perchance 'Abdu'l-Bahá may be put to death and his name be made to perish whereby an arena may be opened unto the enemies of the Covenant wherein they may advance and spur on their charger, inflict a grievous loss upon everyone and subvert the very foundations of the edifice of the Cause of God. For so grievous is the conduct and behavior of this false people that they are become even as an axe striking at the very root of the Blessed Tree. Should they be suffered to continue they would, in but a few days' time, exterminate the Cause of God, His word, and themselves. //** **//52. Hence, the beloved of the Lord must entirely shun them, avoid them, foil their machinations and evil whisperings, guard the Law of God and His religion, engage one and all in diffusing widely the sweet savors of God and to the best of their endeavor proclaim His Teachings. //** **//53. Whosoever and whatsoever meeting becometh a hindrance to the diffusion of the Light of Faith, let the loved ones give them counsel and say:"Of all the gifts of God the greatest is the gift of Teaching. It draweth unto us the Grace of God and is our first obligation. Of such a gift how can we deprive ourselves? Nay, our lives, our goods, our comforts, our rest, we offer them all as a sacrifice for the Abhá Beauty and teach the Cause of God." Caution and prudence, however, must be observed even as recorded in the Book. The veil must in no wise be suddenly rent asunder. The Glory of Glories rest upon you. //** **//54. O ye the faithful loved ones of 'Abdu'l-Bahá! It is incumbent upon you to take the greatest care of [|Shoghi Effendi], the twig that hath branched from and the fruit given forth by the two hallowed and Divine Lote-Trees, that no dust of despondency and sorrow may stain his radiant nature, that day by day he may wax greater in happiness, in joy and spirituality, and may grow to become even as a fruitful tree. //** //**55. For he is, after 'Abdu'l-Bahá,[| the guardian of the Cause of God], [|the Afnán], [|the Hands (pillars) of the Cause] and the beloved of the Lord must obey him and turn unto him. He that obeyeth him not, hath not obeyed God; he that turneth away from him, hath turned away from God and he that denieth him, hath denied the True One. Beware lest anyone falsely interpret these words, and like unto them that have broken the Covenant after the Day of Ascension (of Bahá'u'lláh) advance a pretext, raise the standard of revolt, wax stubborn and open wide the door of false interpretation. To none is given the right to put forth his own opinion or express his particular convictions. All must seek guidance and turn unto [|the Center of the Cause] and [|the House of Justice]. And he that turneth unto whatsoever else is indeed in grievous error. **// //56. The Glory of Glories rest upon you!//

[|//**The Administrative Order**//]

//** of **//

[|//**THE DISPENSATION OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁH**//]

[|//**The Spiritual Testament**//]

//** of the First Guardian **//

//** by **//

//** Shoghi Effendi **//

//** Dearly-beloved brethren in 'Abdu'l-Bahá! With the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh the Day-Star of Divine guidance which, as foretold by Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kázim, had risen in Shíráz, and, while pursuing its westward course, had mounted its zenith in Adrianople, had finally sunk below the horizon of 'Akká, never to rise again ere the complete revolution of one thousand years. The setting of so effulgent an Orb brought to a definite termination the period of Divine Revelation–the initial and most vitalizing stage in the Bahá'í era. Inaugurated by the Báb, culminating in Bahá'u'lláh, anticipated and extolled by the entire company of the Prophets of this great prophetic cycle, this period has, except for the short interval between the Báb's martyrdom and Bahá'u'lláh's shaking experiences in the Síyáh Chal of Tihrán, been characterized by almost fifty years of continuous and progressive Revelation–a period which by its duration and fecundity must be regarded as unparalleled in the entire field of the world's spiritual history. **// //** The passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, on the other hand, marks the closing of the Heroic and Apostolic Age of this same Dispensation–that primitive period of our Faith the splendors of which can never be rivalled, much less be eclipsed, by the magnificence that must needs distinguish the future victories of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation. For neither the achievements of the champion-builders of the present-day institutions of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, nor the tumultuous triumphs which the heroes of its Golden Age will in the coming days succeed in winning, can measure with, or be included within the same category as, the wondrous works associated with the names of those who have generated its very life and laid its pristine foundations. That first and creative age of the Bahá'í era must, by its very nature, stand above and apart from the formative period into which we have entered and the golden age destined to succeed it. **// //** 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Who incarnates an institution for which we can find no parallel whatsoever in any of the world's recognized religious systems, may be said to have closed the Age to which He Himself belonged and opened the one in which we are now laboring. His Will and Testament should thus be regarded as the perpetual, the indissoluble link which the mind of Him Who is the Mystery of God has conceived in order to insure the continuity of the three ages that constitute the component parts of the Bahá'í Dispensation. The period in which the seed of the Faith had been slowly germinating is thus intertwined both with the one which must witness its efflorescence and the subsequent age in which that seed will have finally yielded its golden fruit. **// //** The creative energies released by the Law of Bahá’u’lláh, permeating and evolving within the mind of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, have, by their very impact and close interaction, given birth to 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. The Will may thus be acclaimed as the inevitable offspring resulting from that mystic intercourse between Him Who communicated the generating influence of His divine Purpose and the One Who was its vehicle and chosen recipient. Being the Child of the Covenant– the Heir of both the Originator and the Interpreter of the Law of God–the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá can no more be divorced from Him Who supplied the original and motivating impulse than from the One Who ultimately conceived it. Bahá'u'lláh's inscrutable purpose, we must ever bear in mind, has been so thoroughly infused into the conduct of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and their motives have been so closely wedded together, that the mere attempt to dissociate the teachings of the former from any system which the ideal Exemplar of those same teachings has established would amount to a repudiation of one of the most sacred and basic truths of the Faith. **// //** The Administrative Order, which ever since 'Abdu'l-Bahá's ascension has evolved and is taking shape under our very eyes in no fewer than forty countries of the world, may be considered as the framework of the Will itself, the inviolable stronghold wherein this new-born child is being nurtured and developed. This Administrative Order, as it expands and consolidates itself, will no doubt manifest the potentialities and reveal the full implications of this momentous Document–this most remarkable expression of the Will of One of the most remarkable Figures of the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh. It will, as its component parts, its organic institutions, begin to function with efficiency and vigor, assert its claim and demonstrate its capacity to be regarded not only as the nucleus but the very pattern of the New World Order destined to embrace in the fullness of time the whole of mankind. **// //** It should be noted in this connection that this Administrative Order is fundamentally different from anything that any Prophet has previously established, inasmuch as Bahá'u'lláh has Himself revealed its principles, established its institutions, appointed the person to interpret His Word and conferred the necessary authority on the body designed to supplement and apply His legislative ordinances. Therein lies the secret of its strength, its fundamental distinction, and the guarantee against disintegration and schism. Nowhere in the sacred scriptures of any of the world's religious systems, nor even in the writings of the Inaugurator of the Bábí Dispensation, do we find any provisions establishing a covenant or providing for an administrative order that can compare in scope and authority with those that lie at the very basis of the Bahá'í Dispensation. Has either Christianity or Islám,to take as an instance two of the most widely diffused and outstanding among the world's recognized religions, anything to offer that can measure with, or be regarded as equivalent to, either the Book of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant or to the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá? Does the text of either the Gospel or the Qur'án confer sufficient authority upon those leaders and councils that have claimed the right and assumed the function of interpreting the provisions of their sacred scriptures and of administering the affairs of their respective communities? Could Peter, the admitted chief of the Apostles, or the Imam 'Alí, the cousin and legitimate successor of the Prophet, produce in support of the primacy with which both had been invested written and explicit affirmations from Christ and Muhammad that could have silenced those who either among their contemporaries or in a later age have repudiated their authority and, by their action, precipitated the schisms that persist until the present day? Where, we may confidently ask, in the recorded sayings of Jesus Christ, whether in the matter of succession or in the provision of a set of specific laws and clearly defined administrative ordinances, as distinguished from purely spiritual principles, can we find anything approaching the detailed injunctions, laws and warnings that abound in the authenticated utterances of both Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l Bahá? Can any passage of the Qur'án, which in respect to its legal code, its administrative and devotional ordinances marks already a notable advance over previous and more corrupted Revelations, be construed as placing upon an unassailable basis the undoubted authority with which Muhammad had, verbally and on several occasions, invested His successor? Can the Author of the Bábí Dispensation, however much He may have succeeded through the provisions of the Persian Bayán in averting a schism as permanent and catastrophic as those that afflicted Christianity and Islám– can He be said to have produced instruments for the safeguarding of His Faith as definite and efficacious as those which must for all time preserve the unity of the organized followers of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh ? **// //** Alone of all the Revelations gone before it this Faith has, through the explicit directions, the repeated warnings, the authenticated safeguards incorporated and elaborated in its teachings, succeeded in raising a structure which the bewildered followers of bankrupt and broken creeds might well approach and critically examine, and seek, ere it is too late, the invulnerable security of its world-embracing shelter. **// //** No wonder that He Who through the operation of His Will has inaugurated so vast and unique an Order and Who is the Center of so mighty a Covenant should have written these words: "So firm and mighty is this Covenant that from the beginning of time until the present day no religious Dispensation hath produced its like. " "Whatsoever is latent in the innermost of this holy cycle," He wrote during the darkest and most dangerous days of His ministry, "shall gradually appear and be made manifest, for now is but the beginning of its growth and the day-spring of the revelation of its signs." "Fear not," are His reassuring words foreshadowing the rise of the Administrative Order established by His Will, "fear not if this Branch be severed from this material world and cast aside its leaves; nay, the leaves thereof shall flourish, for this Branch will grow after it is cut off from this world below, it shall reach the loftiest pinnacles of glory, and it shall bear such fruits as will perfume the world with their fragrance." **// //** To what else if not to the power and majesty which this Administrative Order–the rudiments of the future all-enfolding Bahá'í Commonwealth–is destined to manifest, can these utterances of Bahá'u'lláh allude: "The world's equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind's ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System– the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed." **// //** The Báb Himself, in the course of His references to "Him Whom God will make manifest" anticipates the System and glorifies the World Order which the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh is destined to unfold. "Well is it with him," is His remarkable statement in the third chapter of the Persian Bayán, "who fixeth his gaze upon the Order of Bahá 'u'lláh and rendereth thanks unto his Lord! For He will assuredly be made manifest. God hath indeed irrevocably ordained it in the Bayán." **// //** In the Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh where the institutions of the International and Local Houses of Justice are specifically designated and formally established; in the institution of the Hands of the Cause of God which first Bahá'u'lláh and then 'Abdu'l-Bahá brought into being; in the institution of both local and national Assemblies which in their embryonic stage were already functioning in the days preceding 'Abdu'l-Bahá's ascension; in the authority with which the Author of our Faith and the Center of His Covenant have in their Tablets chosen to confer upon them; in the institution of the Local Fund which operated according to 'Abdu'l-Bahá's specific injunctions addressed to certain Assemblies in Persia; in the verses of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas the implications of which clearly anticipate the institution of the Guardianship; in the explanation which 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in one of His Tablets, has given to, and the emphasis He has placed upon, the hereditary principle and the law of primogeniture as having been upheld by the Prophets of the past– in these we can discern the faint glimmerings and discover the earliest intimation of the nature and working of the Administrative Order which the Will of 'Abdu'l-Bahá was at a later time destined to proclaim and formally establish. **// //** An attempt, I feel, should at the present juncture be made to explain the character and functions of the twin pillars that support this mighty Administrative Structure–the institutions of the Guardianship and of the Universal House of Justice. To describe in their entirety the diverse elements that function in conjunction with these institutions is beyond the scope and purpose of this general exposition of the fundamental verities of the Faith. To define with accuracy and minuteness the features, and to analyze exhaustively the nature of the relationships which, on the one hand, bind together these two fundamental organs of the Will of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and connect, on the other, each of them to the Author of the Faith and the Center of His Covenant is a task which future generations will no doubt adequately fulfill. My present intention is to elaborate certain salient features of this scheme which, however close we may stand to its colossal structure, are already so clearly defined that we find it inexcusable to either misconceive or ignore. **// //** 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, 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 responsi- bilities 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 has 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, 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. **// //** 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 Kitáb-i-Aqdas has deliberately left in the body of His legislative and admin istrative ordinances. **// //**  "He is the Interpreter of the Word of God, " ‘ Abdu'l-Bahá, referring to the functions of the Guardian of the Faith, asserts, using in His Will the very term which He Himself had chosen when refuting the argument of the Covenant breakers who had challenged His right to interpret the utterances of Bahá'u'lláh. "After him," He adds, "will succeed the first-born of his lineal descendants. " "The mighty stronghold," He further explains, "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 A__gh__sán, the Afnán, the Hands of the Cause of God, to show their obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto the Guardian of the Cause of God." "It is incumbent upon the members of the House of Justice," Bahá'u'lláh, on the other hand, declares in the Eighth Leaf of the Exalted Paradise, "To take counsel together regarding those things which have not outwardly been revealed in the Book, and to enforce that which is agreeable to them. God will verily inspire them with whatsoever He willeth, and He verily is the Provider, the Omniscient. " "Unto the Most Holy Book" (the Kitáb-i-Aqdas), 'Abdu'l-Bahá states in His Will, "every one must turn, and all that is not expressly recorded therein must be referred to the Universal House of Justice. That which this body, whether unanimously or by a majority doth carry, that is verily the truth and the purpose of God Himself. Whoso doth deviate therefrom is verily of them that love discord, hath shown forth malice, and turned away from the Lord of the Covenant." **// //** Not only does 'Abdu'l-Bahá confirm in His Will Bahá'u'lláh's above quoted statement, but invests this body with the additional right and power to abrogate, according to the exigencies of time, its own enactments, as well as those of a preceding House of Justice. "Inasmuch as the House of Justice, " is His explicit statement in His Will, "hath power to enact laws that are not expressly recorded in the Book and bear upon daily transactions, so also it hath power to repeal the same . . . This it can do because these laws form no part of the divine explicit text."Referring to both the Guardian and the Universal House of Justice we read these emphatic words: "The sacred and youthful branch, the Guardian of the Cause of God, as well as the Universal House of Justice to be universally elected and established, are both under the care and protection of the Abhá Beauty, under the shelter and unerring guidance of the Exalted One (the Báb) (may my life be offered up for them both). Whatsoever they decide is of God." **// //** From these statements it is made indubitably clear and evident that the Guardian of the Faith has been made the Interpreter of the Word and that the Universal House of Justice has been invested with the function of legislating on matters not expressly revealed in the teachings. The interpretation of the Guardian, functioning within his own sphere, is as authoritative and binding as the enactments of the International House of Justice, whose exclusive right and prerogative is to pronounce upon and deliver the final judgment on such laws and ordinances as Bahá'u'lláh has not expressly revealed. Neither can, nor will ever, infringe upon the sacred and prescribed domain of the other. Neither will seek to curtail the specific and undoubted authority with which both have been divinely invested. **// //** Though the Guardian of the Faith has been made the permanent head of so august a body he can never, even temporarily, assume the right of exclusive legislation. He cannot override the decision of the majority of his fellow-members, but is bound to insist upon a reconsideration by them of any enactment he conscientiously believes to conflict with the meaning and to depart from the spirit of Bahá'u'lláh's revealed utterances. He interprets what has been specifically revealed, and cannot legislate except in his capacity as member of the Universal House of Justice. He is debarred from laying down independently the constitution that must govern the organized activities of his fellow-members, and from exercising his influence in a manner that would encroach upon the liberty of those whose sacred right is to elect the body of his collaborators. **// //** It should be borne in mind that the institution of the Guardianship has been anticipated by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in an allusion He made in a Tablet addressed, long before His own ascension, to three of His friends in Persia. To their question as to whether there would be any person to whom all the Bahá'ís would be called upon to turn after His ascension He made the following reply: "As to the question ye have asked me, know verily that this is a well-guarded secret. It is even as a gem concealed within its shell. That it will be revealed is predestined. The time will come when its light will appear, when its evidences will be made manifest, and its secrets unravelled. " **// //** Dearly-beloved friends ! Exalted as is the position and vital as is the function of the institution of the Guardianship in the Administrative Order of Bahá'u’lláh, and staggering as must be the weight of responsibility which it carries, its importance must, whatever be the language of the Will, be in no wise over-emphasized. The Guardian of the Faith must not under any circumstances, and whatever his merits or his achievements, be exalted to the rank that will make him a co-sharer with 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the unique position which the Center of the Covenant occupies–much less to the station exclusively ordained for the Manifestation of God. So grave a departure from the established tenets of our Faith is nothing short of open blasphemy. As I have already stated, in the course of my references to 'Abdu'l-Bahá's station, however great the gulf that separates Him from the Author of a Divine Revelation it can never measure with the distance that stands between Him Who is the Center of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant and the Guardians who are its chosen ministers. There is a far, far greater distance separating the Guardian from the Center of the Covenant than there is between the Center of the Covenant and its Author. **// //** No Guardian of the Faith, I feel it my solemn duty to place on record,can ever claim to be the perfect exemplar of the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh or the stainless mirror that reflects His light. Though overshadowed by the unfailing, the unerring protection of Bahá'u'lláh and of the Báb, and however much he may share with 'Abdu'l-Bahá the right and obligation to interpret the Bahá'í teachings, he remains essentially human and cannot, if he wishes to remain faithful to his trust, arrogate to himself, under any pretence whatsoever, the rights, the privileges and prerogatives which Bahá'u'lláh has chosen to confer upon His Son. ln the light of this truth to pray to the Guardian of the Faith, to address him as lord and master, to designate him as his holiness, to seek his benediction, to celebrate his birthday, or to commemorate any event associated with his life would be tantamount to a departure from those established truths that are enshrined within our beloved Faith. The fact that the Guardian has been specifically endowed with such power as he may need to reveal the purport and disclose the implications of the utterances of Bahá'u'lláh and of 'Abdu'l-Bahá does not necessarily confer upon him a station co-equal with those Whose words he is called upon to interpret. He can exercise that right and discharge this obligation and yet remain infinitely inferior to both of them in rank and different in nature. **// //** To the integrity of this cardinal principle of our Faith the words, the deeds of its present and future Guardians must abundantly testify. By their conduct and example they must needs establish its truth upon an unassailable foundation and transmit to future generations unimpeachable evidences of its reality. For my own part to hesitate in recognizing so vital a truth or to vacillate in proclaiming so firm a conviction must constitute a shameless betrayal of the confidence reposed in me by 'Abdu'l-Bahá and an unpardonable usurpation of the authority with which He Himself has been invested. **// //** A word should now be said regarding the theory on which this Administrative Order is based and the principle that must govern the operation of its chief institutions. It would be utterly misleading to attempt a comparison between this unique, this divinely-conceived Order and any of the diverse systems which the minds of men, at various periods of their history, have contrived for the government of human institutions. Such an attempt would in itself betray a lack of complete appreciation of the excellence of the handiwork of its great Author. How could it be otherwise when we remember that this Order constitutes the very pattern of that divine civilization which the almighty Law of Bahá’u'lláh is designed to establish upon earth? The divers and ever-shifting systems of human polity, whether past or present, whether originating in the East or in the West, offer no adequate criterion wherewith to estimate the potency of its hidden virtues or to appraise the solidity of its foundations. **// //** The Bahá'í Commonwealth of the future, of which this vast Administrative Order is the sole framework, is, both in theory and practice, not only unique in the entire history of political institutions, but can find no parallel in the annals of any of the world's recognized religious systems. No form of democratic government; no system of autocracy or of dictatorship, whether monarchical or republican; no intermediary scheme of a purely aristocratic order; nor even any of the recognized types of theocracy, whether it be the Hebrew Commonwealth, or the various Christian ecclesiastical organizations, or the Imamate or the Caliphate in Islám–none of these can be identified or be said to conform with the Administrative Order which the master-hand of its perfect Architect has fashioned. **// //** This new-born Administrative Order incorporates within its structure certain elements which are to be found in each of the three recognized forms of secular government, without being in any sense a mere replica of anyone of them, and without introducing within its machinery any of the objectionable features which they inherently possess. It blends and harmonizes, as no government fashioned by mortal hands has as yet accomplished, the salutary truths which each of these systems undoubtedly contains without vitiating the integrity of those God-given verities on which it is ultimately founded. **// //** The Administrative Order of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh must in no wise be regarded as purely democratic in character inasmuch as the basic assumption which requires all democracies to depend fundamentally upon getting their mandate from the people is altogether lacking in this Dispensation. In the conduct of the administrative affairs of the Faith, in the enactment of the legislation necessary to supplement the laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the members of the Universal House of Justice, it should be borne in mind, are not, as Bahá'u'lláh´’s utterances clearly imply, responsible to those whom they represent, nor are they allowed to be governed by the feelings, the general opinion, and even the convictions of the mass of the faithful, or of those who directly elect them. They are to follow, in a prayerful attitude, the dictates and promptings of their conscience. They may, indeed they must, acquaint themselves with the conditions prevailing among the community, must weigh dispassionately in their minds the merits of any case presented for their consideration, but must reserve for themselves the right of an unfettered decision. "God will verily inspire them with whatsoever He willeth," is Bahá'u'lláh's incontrovertible assurance. They, and not the body of those who either directly or indirectly elect them, have thus been made the recipients of the divine guidance which is at once the life-blood and ultimate safeguard of this Revelation. Moreover, he who symbolizes the hereditary principle in this Dispensation has been made the interpreter of the words of its Author, and ceases consequently, by virtue of the actual authority vested in him, to be the figurehead invariably associated with the prevailing systems of constitutional monarchies. **// //** Nor can the Bahá'í Administrative Order be dismissed as a hard and rigid system of unmitigated autocracy or as an idle imitation of any form of absolutistic ecclesiastical government, whether it be the Papacy, the Imamate or any other similar institution, for the obvious reason that upon the international elected representatives of the followers of Bahá'u'lláh has been conferred the exclusive right of legislating on matters not expressly revealed in the Bahá’í writings. Neither the Guardian of the Faith nor any institution apart from the International House of Justice can ever usurp this vital and essential power or encroach upon that sacred right. The abolition of professional priesthood with its accompanying sacraments of baptism, of communion and of confession of sins, the laws requiring the election by universal suffrage of all local, national, and international Houses of Justice, the total absence of episcopal authority with its attendant privileges, corruptions and bureaucratic tendencies, are further evidences of the non autocratic character of the Bahá'í Administrative Order and of its inclination to democratic methods in the administration of its affairs. **// //** Nor is this Order identified with the name of Bahá'u'lláh to be confused with any system of purely aristocratic government in view of the fact that it upholds, on the one hand, the hereditary principle and entrusts the Guardian of the Faith with the obligation of interpreting its teachings, and provides, on the other, for the free and direct election from among the mass of the faithful of the body that constitutes its highest legislative organ. **// //** Whereas this Administrative Order cannot be said to have been modelled after any of these recognized systems of government, it nevertheless embodies, reconciles and assimilates within its framework such wholesome elements as are to be found in each one of them. The hereditary authority which the Guardian is called upon to exercise, the vital and essential functions which the Universal House of Justice discharges, the specific provisions requiring its democratic election by the representatives of the faithful–these combine to demonstrate the truth that this divinely revealed Order, which can never be identified with any of the standard types of government referred to by Aristotle in his works, embodies and blends with the spiritual verities on which it is based the beneficent elements which are to be found in each one of them. The admitted evils inherent in each of these systems being rigidly and permanently excluded, this unique Order, how ever long it may endure and however extensive its ramifications, cannot ever degenerate into any form of despotism, of oligarchy, or of demagogy which must sooner or later corrupt the machinery of all man-made and essentially defective political institutions. **// //** Dearly-beloved friends! Significant as are the origins of this mighty administrative structure, and however unique its features, the happenings that may be said to have heralded its birth and signalized the initial stage of its evolution seem no less remarkable. How striking, how edifying the contrast between the process of slow and steady consolidation that characterizes the growth of its infant strength and the devastating onrush of the forces of disintegration that are assailing the outworn institutions, both religious and secular, of present-day society! **// //** The vitality which the organic institutions of this great, this ever expanding Order so strongly exhibit; the obstacles which the high courage, the undaunted resolution of its administrators have already surmounted; the fire of an unquenchable enthusiasm that glows with undiminished fervor in the hearts of its itinerant teachers; the heights of self-sacrifice which its champion-builders are now attaining; the breadth of vision, the confident hope, the creative joy, the inward peace, the uncompromising integrity, the exemplary discipline, the unyielding unity and solidarity which its stalwart defenders manifest; the degree to which its moving Spirit has shown itself capable of assimilating the diversified elements within its pale, of cleansing them of all forms of prejudice and of fusing them with its own structure– these are evidences of a power which a disillusioned and sadly shaken society can ill afford to ignore. **// //** Compare these splendid manifestations of the spirit animating this vibrant body of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh with the cries and agony, the follies and vanities, the bitterness and prejudices, the wickedness and divisions of an ailing and chaotic world. Witness the fear that torments its leaders and paralyzes the action of its blind and bewildered statesmen. How fierce the hatreds, how false the ambitions, how petty the pursuits, how deep-rooted the suspicions of its peoples! How disquieting the lawlessness, the corruption, the unbelief that are eating into the vitals of a tottering civilization! **// //** Might not this process of steady deterioration which is insidiously invading so many departments of human activity and thought be regarded as a necessary accompaniment to the rise of this almighty Arm of Bahá'u'lláh? Might we not look upon the momentous happenings which, in the course of the past twenty years, have so deeply agitated every continent of the earth, as ominous signs simultaneously proclaiming the agonies of a disintegrating civilization and the birth pangs of that World Order–that Ark of human salvation–that must needs arise upon its ruins? **// //** The catastrophic fall of mighty monarchies and empires in the European continent, allusions to some of which may be found in the prophecies of Bahá'u'lláh; the decline that has set in, and is still continuing, in the fortunes of the __Sh__í'ah hierarchy in His own native land; the fall of the Qájár dynasty, the traditional enemy of His Faith; the overthrow of the Sultanate and the Caliphate, the sustaining pillars of Sunní Islám, to which the destruction of Jerusalem in the latter part of the first century of the Christian era offers a striking parallel; the wave of secularization which is invading the Muhammadan ecclesiastical institutions in Egypt and sapping the loyalty of its staunchest supporters; the humiliating blows that have afflicted some of the most powerful Churches of Christendom in Russia, in Western Europe and Central America; the dissemination of those subversive doctrines that are undermining the foundations and overthrowing the structure of seemingly impregnable strongholds in the political and social spheres of human activity; the signs of an impending catastrophe, strangely reminiscent of the Fall of the Roman Empire in the West, which threatens to engulf the whole structure of present-day civilization–all witness to the tumult which the birth of this mighty Organ of the Religion of Bahá'u'lláh has cast into the world – a tumult which will grow in scope and in intensity as the implications of this constantly evolving Scheme are more fully understood and its ramifications more widely extended over the surface of the globe. **// //** A word more in conclusion. The rise and establishment of this Administrative Order–the shell that shields and enshrines so precious a gem – constitutes the hall-mark of this second and formative age of the Bahá'í era. It will come to be regarded, as it recedes farther and farther from our eyes, as the chief agency empowered to usher in the concluding phase, the consummation of this glorious Dispensation. **// //** Let no one, while this System is still in its infancy, misconceive its character, belittle its significance or misrepresent its purpose. The bedrock on which this Administrative Order is founded is God's immutable Purpose for mankind in this day. The Source from which it derives its inspiration is no one less than Bahá'u'lláh Himself. Its shield and defender are the embattled hosts of the Abhá Kingdom. Its seed is the blood of no less than twenty thousand martyrs who have offered up their lives that it may be born and flourish. The axis round which its institutions revolve are the authentic provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Its guiding principles are the truths which He Who is the unerring Interpreter of the teachings of our Faith has so clearly enunciated in His public addresses throughout the West. The laws that govern its operation and limit its functions are those which have been expressly ordained in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. The seat round which its spiritual, its humanitarian and administrative activities will cluster are the Ma__sh__riqu'l-A__dh__kár and its Dependencies. The pillars that sustain its authority and buttress its structure are the twin institutions of the Guardianship and of the Universal House of Justice. The central, the underlying aim which animates it is the establishment of the New World Order as adumbrated by Bahá'u'lláh. The methods it employs, the standard it inculcates, incline it to neither East nor West, neither Jew nor Gentile, neither rich nor poor, neither white nor colored. Its watchword is the unification of the human race; its standard the "Most Great Peace"; its consummation the advent of that golden millennium–the Day when the kingdoms of this world shall have become the Kingdom of God Himself, the Kingdom of Bahá’u'lláh. **// //** SHOGHI, Haifa, Palestine, February 8, 1934. **//

[|//**Formation of First International Baha'i Council**//]

//** Proclaim National Assemblies of East and West weighty epoch-making decision of formation of first International Baha'i Council, forerunner of supreme administrative institution destined to emerge in fullness of time within precincts beneath shadow of World Spiritual Center of Faith already established in twin cities of Akka and Haifa. Fulfillment of prophecies uttered by Founder of Faith and Center of His Covenant culminating in establishment of Jewish State, signalizing birth after lapse of two thousand years of an independent nation in the Holy Land, the swift unfoldment of historic undertaking associated with construction of superstructure of the Bab's Sepulcher on Mount Carmel, the present adequate maturity of nine vigorously functioning national administrative institutions throughout Baha'i World, combine to induce me to arrive at this historic decision marking most significant milestone in evolution of Administrative Order of the Faith of Baha'u'llah in course of last thirty years. Nascent Institution now created is invested with threefold function: first, to forge link with authorities of newly emerged State; second, to assist me to discharge responsibilities involved in erection of mighty superstructure of the Bab's Holy Shrine; third, to conduct negotiations related to matters of personal status with civil authorities. **////** To these will be added further functions in course of evolution of this first embryonic International Institution, marking its development into officially recognized Baha'i 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 neighborhood 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 Baha'i Dispensation potentially unsurpassed by any enterprise undertaken since inception of Administrative Order of Faith on morrow of Abdu'l-Baha'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 Baha'i Cycle. Advise publicize announcement through Public Relations Committee. **// //** - Shoghi [Cablegram, January 9, 1951] **//

[|//**Spiritual and Administrative World Center**//]

//** Announce to friends of East and West the following: furnishing Mazra'ih, completion of restoration of historic house of Baha'u'llah in Acre,(1) scene of prolonged afflictions sustained by Founder of Faith, as well as supreme crisis suffered by Abdu'l-Baha at hands of Covenantbreakers. Greatly enhanced international endowments in Holy Land in twin cities of Acre and Haifa, now include twin Holy Shrines situated on plain of Acre and slope of Mount Carmel; twin Mansions of Bahji and Mazra'ih, twin historic Houses inhabited by Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha; twin International Archives adjoining the Bab's Sepulcher and the resting-place of the Greatest Holy Leaf; twin Pilgrim Houses, constructed for Oriental and Occidental pilgrims; twin Gardens of Ridvan and Firdaws, associated with the memory of the Author of the Baha'i Dispensation. **// //** Greatly welcome assistance of the newly-formed International Council, particularly its [|President, Mason Remey], and its [|Vice-President, Amelia Collins], through contact with authorities designed to spread the fame, consolidate the foundations and widen the scope of influence emanating from the twin spiritual, administrative World Centers permanently fixed in the Holy Land constituting the midmost heart of the entire planet. **// **//- Shoghi [Cablegram, March 2, 1951]//** [|//**RESOLUTION OF THE HANDS OF THE CAUSE OF GOD**//]

//**Mansion of Bahá'u'lláh**// //**Bahji, 'Akka, Israel**// //**November 25, 1957**//

//**We the undersigned Hands of the Cause hereby record the following action taken in unanimous agreement:**// //**1. That the body of nine Hands of the Cause already constituted shall exercise these functions, namely, to correspond with the National Spiritual Assemblies on matters related to the prosecution of the Guardian's Ten Year Plan; to assist the National Assemblies in the solution of administrative problems by citing passages in Bahá'í literature which clarify the nature of these problems; to act for the protection of the Faith whenever its teachings or institutions or properties are assailed by enemies from within the Bahá'í Community or outside its ranks;**// //**2. That the Council shall represent the Faith in all matters related to the Israeli Government and its courts;**// //**3. The nine Hands to reinforce the membership of the International Bahá'í Council through the addition of the five Hands among the nine Hands not already members of the Council;**// //**4. That the entire body of the Hands of the Cause, meeting annually or whenever convened by the nine Hands, shall determine when and how the International Bahá'í Council shall pass through the successive stages outlined by Shoghi Effendi culminating in the election of [|the Universal House of Justice];**// //**5. That the nine Hands serving at the Bahá'í World Centre shall maintain correspondence with the Hands stationed in the several continents on all matters related to their work of propagating the Faith and defending it from attack, coordinating and encouraging their efforts;**// //**6. That the authority to expel violators from the Faith shall be vested in the body of nine Hands, acting on reports and recommendations submitted by Hands from their respective continents.**// //**7. The Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land may, if necessary, call upon any of the Hands to fill a vacancy temporarily.**// > //**[Signed as follows]**// || //**Ruhiyyih Rabbani**// || //**Zikrullah Khadem**// || > || //**Mason Remey**// || //**A. Q. Faizi**// || > || //**Amelia E. Collins**// || //**Ugo Giachery**// || > || //**Leroy C. Ioas**// || //**Dr. Adelbert Muhlschlegel**// || > || //**Hasan M. Balyuzi**// || //**Djalal Khazeh**// || > || //**Horace Holley**// || //**Hermann Grossmann**// ||


 * //**M.B. [Musa Banani]**// || //**John Robarts**// ||
 * //**A. Furutan**// || //**Enoch Olinga**// ||
 * //**Dr. R. Mohajer**// || //**Ali Mohammad Varqa**// ||
 * //**Sh. Alai**// || //**H. Collis Featherstone**// ||
 * //**John Ferraby**// || //**William Sears**// ||
 * //**T. Samandari**// || //**Paul Haney**// ||
 * //**Agnes B. Alexander**// || //**Clara Dunn**// ||
 * //**[Corinne True by affidavit]**// ||  ||

//**In 1966 Mason-Remey wrote to [|Joel Marangella] in [|Glad Tidings]**// //**"The time has come for all contests between the friends under the guardianship to cease--TO STOP. At this time the friends should arise to teach the faith. As I myself have teaching to do here in Italy I am turning over the affairs of the Faith over to you as the President of [|the second Baha'i International Council] to handle this for me--you having the other members of the International Council to assist you.**// //**"You are conversant with the teachings of the Faith so from now on I will leave you free to conduct the affairs of the Faith, I making suggestions when necessary."**//

[|//**Charles Mason Remey's Last Will and Testament**//]

//**Dott. Proc. Giuseppe Pedone**// //**Notaio in Milano**// //**20121**// //**- via Broletto, 37**//

//**Florence, Italy**// //**29 August 1963 A.D.**//

//**I- I, Charles Mason Remey, U.S. citizen of Washington, D.C., born in Burlington, Iowa, on May 15th, 1874, being of sound physical and mental health do hereby declare this to be my last Will and Testament hereby revoking any previous Will and Testament heretofore made by me.**//

//**II- I direct that in case of my death, [|Joseph Pepe, Jr.,] U.S. citizen of Newark, New Jersey, born February 13, 1922 at Newark, New Jersey, U.S.A. be the [|executor] of my [|estate].**// //**Charles Mason Remey**// //**III- I bequeath to [|Joseph (Giuseppe) Pepe, Jr.] everything tangible [Orthodox Baha'i Administrative Order] and intangible [Guardianship] that I possess and may be entitled to.**// //**IV- As for the burial of my remains, I leave this entirely in the hands of Joseph Pepe Jr.**// //**V- Any rights, outlined in the agreement between myself and the Pohick Church at Pohick, Fairfax, Virginia, U.S.A. which shall continue on after my death, I [transfer] onto Joseph Pepe Jr., whom I am adopting as my legal son and heir. I authorize Joseph Pepe Jr. to act in my behalf in the upkeep, arrangement or transfer of remains from the "Remeum" to any other place he may deem necessary for their safety.**// //**Charles Mason Remey**//

//**In the Most Holy Name**//

//**of**//

//**El Baha,**//

//**I the Second Guardian**//

//**of the Baha'i Faith hereby**//

//**appoint [|Donald Harvey]**//

//**at my death to be my**//

//**Successor the Third**//

//**Guardian of the Faith.**//

[|//**Mason Remey**//]

[|//**May 23rd 1967**//]

[|//**Florence, Italy.**//]

//**P.S.**//

//**May the Spirit of El Abha**//

//**ever protect this line of**//

//**Spiritual descent from**// //**Abdu'l Baha**//

//**the Center of the Covenant**//

//**of El Baha.**// //**C.M.R.**//



//**To All Believers, Servants and Handmaids of the Universal Faith and Revelation**// //**of Baha'u'llah, The Splendor of God : By this writ in my own handwriting**// //**I, Mr. Doanald Alphonse Harvey presently residing at 5, rue Lavoisier**// //**75008 Paris, France, and presently being the Third Guardian of the**// //**Universal Faith and Revelation of Baha'u'llah until my seat is called**// //**from this Earth, do appoint and designate [|Mr. Jacques SOGHOMONIAN],**// //**presently residing at _ _ _ _ ___ as**// //**his successor as [|Fourth Guardian] of the [|Universal] [|Faith] and [|Revelation] of**// //**[|Baha'u'llah]. This writ is thus being made by virtue of the Explicit Text**// //**of [|the Will] and [|Testament] of [|'Abdu'l-Baha], in compliance with all**// //**prescriptions found in it.**// //**Rougemont, near Montana, Cole d'ev, in France, this day of**// //**Saturday ,November 19, Year 1984 AD,**// //**[Signed Donald A. Harvey.]**// //**- Third Guardian.**//

//**April 9, 1992**// //**I wish to make known that it is important that the sincere and faithful friends of the Testament of ‘Abdu’l Baha, Center of the Covenant of Baha’u’llah, go deeply into these texts which are [|the Testament of ‘Abdu’l Baha], [|“The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah” by Shoghi Effendi], as well as the booklet, [|“The Covenant”].**// //**It is especially important to know well the text of the two telegrams of Shoghi Effendi, dated [|January 9, 1951], and [|March 2, 1951](last paragraph).**// //**All these documents constitute the true unfolding of the Worldwide Charter of ‘Abdu’l Baha.**// //**It is also necessary to read carefully the book of Shoghi Effendi, “God Passes By”. Baha’u’llah suffered infinitely and gave himself completely to the Cause of God, in order to realize the prophesies of the Bible for every human being.**// //**By his total self renunciation, Baha’u’llah lightened the suffering of other believers for at least a thousand years.**// //**Baha’u’llah is the Father promised and waited for by all the religions of the past: Jewish, Christian, Islamic…etc. of which the traces and vestiges remain today and are followed by millions of people who ought to know of this immense promise which was fulfilled by his Coming, over one hundred years ago.**// //**The complete cycle of one hundred years, allowed by Baha’u’llah to accept this Cause of God which he manifested, which began with his ascension on May 29, 1992, will be completed on May 28, 1993.**// //**Each believer in Baha’u’llah and in his Faith, who follows the hereditary principle of Guardianship as it is written in the Testament of ‘Abdu’l Baha, as it was expressed by the life of Shoghi Effendi, has the duty to pray as the Bab, Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l Baha taught us to do every day. It is the right thing to have on his lips (make mention) the Greatest Name, and to repeat it 19 times or 95 times. The second Guardian, Charles Mason Remey, whose suffering was unbearable, had already prescribed it during his own ministry which lasted for us from 1960 to 1974.**// //**It is absolutely necessary that each believer in Baha’u’llah and his Covenant be, or become:**// //**a light projecting the true spiritual life**// //**not limit himself to satisfying his intellect**// //**Every human being on Earth is destined to reflect fully the reality of this Spirit.**// //**Today, the believer in Baha’u’llah and his Covenant is a pioneer of what human beings will be in the future. This present believer wherever he may be, whatever he may be, will never hesitate to constantly solicit Baha’u’llah in order to strengthen his Faith in him, in his Cause and in all his “Proofs”.**// //**The Three Personalities ([|Bab], [|Baha’u’llah] and [|‘Abdu’l Baha]) are for the true believer that we should be, more than simple men.**// //**This revelation is the Source of the Truth.**// //**By his total devotion to the Bab and to Baha’u’llah; ‘Abdu’l Baha has the same perfection s as the Manifestation of God, without having the title or station.**// //**This shows that every human being can and must also acquire this perfection, no doubt to a lesser degree than ‘Abdu’l Baha. Nevertheless, if necessary, he must totally leave his present condition and be a source of encouragement and example.**// //**Here is what is required of a believing friend today, to be a perfect example in his life, his acts, his communication, by speech or other means of _expression, of his faith in Baha’u’llah. Without a shadow of a doubt, the administrative order, as it comes from the Testament, and which was begun by Shoghi Effendi following the Charter which he left us, is “par excellence”, the supreme _expression of the Covenant; its goal is to attract all the peoples of the earth to accept God, Baha’u’llah, Center of the Covenant; and the Guardian of his Cause, the Guardian who is visible among the people of the Kingdom of God on earth. It is by the acceptance of all this that a human being, all human beings, all the people of the earth will receive the necessary spiritual force. It is the individual who must know how to solicit these spiritual forces and use them himself, with more and more other individuals who are similarly doing their research and studies about this divine Revelation. It is the only way to eradicate the cancer of extreme materialism of our epoch, and all the diseases that it causes.**// //**It is good, and would be good for everyone, to know and make known the books about the faith of Baha’u’llah which were the Baha’I Faith until November 1957, the day after the death of Shoghi Effendi.**// //**Because the Baha’I Faith of today, and since 1960 in no way represents the true Cause of Baha’u’llah with his inseparable Covenant, and the true Administrative Order has yet to be established by and for all the people. It is of the highest importance to make known to every person (and almost simultaneously) to the general public the contents of these books of which the most indispensable are “The Testament of ‘Abdu’l Baha”, and the books of Shoghi Effendi: “God Passes By” and “The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah”.**// //**The Cause of God is growing around the world by mysterious forces. The ways of God are not at first understood by men who’s conception is limited. Bu these ways of God will be created by everyone, and understood as well because it is not men who determine events, it is the Creator Himself.**// //**The great mistake of the Baha’I friends is to let themselves be led into error by “leaders” who are not leaders. These leaders themselves are mistaken. May they admit it as quickly as possible. These “leaders” must admit their fault in public. This institution called “Universal House of Justice”, which is not the Universal House of Justice of the Covenant, expressed by ‘Abdu’l Baha in his Testament, must dissolve itself before all the people of the earth. They will reclaim the return of the Guardian in the Holy Land to build the Baha’I Court of Justice at Mount Carmel.**// //**One can discern that the true plan of God, and of Baha’u’llah, is developing by using as he does the effects of the installation of the aforementioned “Universal House of Justice” in 1963.**// //**Little by little, the attention of the people is turned to the true Cause of Baha’u’llah. Let each and every one of us act usefully.**// //**“Too often, man thinks he is fooling God who, nonetheless, is waiting at the next corner.”**// //**Everyone is preparing to play an historic role without precedent. This is why it is so important that each one who professes to follow this blessed Cause not make any error. The only way to avoid all errors is to know well these books: those of Baha’u’llah, ‘Abdu’l Baha and Shoghi Effendi, and of no other person, unless Baha’u’llah, ‘Abdu’l Baha and Shoghi Effendi are correctly cited.**// //**These books are very clear. They can and should be read and understood directly by everyone.**// //**The Guardian in no way interferes with this independent and personal search for the Truth which every believer conducts for himself or herself. Once they know these books very well, as well as more and more of the general public, the Guardian will set objectives to accomplish, always conforming to the Cause and the Covenant.**// //**Whatever happens, the Cause of Baha’u’llah will be usefully established in our hearts and acts. Even if all human beings gave up the sacred task, God has an infinite number of means to teach the human race what is true and what is false.**// //**History has demonstrated it. None will ever know where he is, except God with Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l Baha.**// //**“God does what he wishes, when he wished and where he wishes.”**// //**With my profound sentiments in the Faith of Baha’u’llah.**// //**With my love,**// //**Faithfully in El Abha,**// //**Your brother,**// //**[Signed] [|Jacques Soghomonian]**// //**O Son of Utterance,**// //**“Thou art My stronghold, enter therein that thou mayest abide in safety. My love is in thee, know it, that thou mayest find me near thee.” ([|Hidden Words] of Baha’u’llah)**//

//[|To all the believers, faithful to the Will and the Covenant of]// //[|Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha]// //On this day, February the tenth 2005, after thinking a lot for the good Cause of the aha’i Faith, I have taken the following decisions://

//According to the powers I was confirmed on as the Fourth Guardian and faithful to the Covenant of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha, on account of my health problem, I had nominated Kamran Taimouri as my successor as far as the carrying on of the Guardianship was concerned. That was done on November 25th 2003. Today February 10th 2005, I definitely nominate Kamran Taimouri as the Hands of the Cause of God to comfort the structure of the Faith in the USA. I do hope Kamran Taimouri will accept my decision...*// //Mrs. Jean Miller [is appointed] as the coordinator for carrying on [the progress] and growth of the Faith [in USA].// //In faithfulness to the Covenant in its spirit and its letters, do not forget the obedience to the Covenant and the truth that goes with it. This obedience is the main rule for all the Faithful and it will give you Baha’u’llah’s assistance.// //Last but not least with my intense prayer, here is my supreme and final willingness: I indisputably name as my successor Mr. Enayatollah Sarvestani YAZDANI [living at] 2c Hampden Road Pennant Hill, NSW,Australia. He will be the 5th Guardian after my death.//

//As the number of the believers is increasing all over the world, we must set up the Guardianship Funds in accordance with the Covenant. More information will be given in the following letters.// //With all my affection and my prayers to all of you,//

//Faithfully in Al-Abha// //Sincerely yours// //Signed// //Jacques Soghomonian// *Mr. Kamran Taimouri has accepted the decision of the Guardian and he has confirmed it in his letter of February 28, 2005 in which original certified copy was sent to E.S. Yazdani and the same was published in “ The Friends” of March 2005 edition. Mr. Jacques Soghomonian has signed the original text of his will in which it was written, in French, entirely in his own hand writing and the translated of the same text in English. The signature of Mr. Jacques Soghomonian on both documents was certified/witnessed/sealed at Me GERAUDIE, notaire associe a Marseille (2○) 3, Rue de la Republique. The French text consists of two pages in Mr. J. Soghomonian hand writing. The English translation of the same text was translated and written by L. S. The English text consists of two pages as well. The original texts were received by E.S. Yazdani on January 5, 2007.

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