Bahá'í Faith

Central figures

Bahá'u'lláh The Báb · `Abdu'l-Bahá

Key scripture

Kitáb-i-Aqdas · Kitáb-i-Íqán The Hidden Words The Seven Valleys

Institutions

Administrative Order The Guardianship Universal House of Justice Spiritual Assemblies

History

Bahá'í history · Timeline Bábís · Shaykh Ahmad

Notable individuals

Shoghi Effendi Martha Root · Táhirih Badí‘ · Apostles Hands of the Cause

See also

Symbols · Laws Teachings · Texts Calendar · Divisions Pilgrimage · Prayer Index of Bahá'í Articles This box: view • talk • edit

Shoghí Effendí Rabbání (March 1, 1897 - November 4, 1957), better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957. The Bahá'í Faith is a Religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in nineteenth-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind Bahá'u'lláh ( ba-haa-ol-laa "Glory of God" ( November 12, 1817 – May 29, 1892) born Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí Nuri Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad ( ( October 20, 1819 – July 9, 1850) was the founder of Bábism, and one of three central figures of the ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ( ar عبد البهاء &lrm (23 May 1844 - 28 November 1921 born `Abbás Effendí, was the son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the The Kitáb-i-Aqdas is a central book of the Bahá'í Faith written by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the religion The Kitáb-i-Íqán ( "The Book of Certitude" is one of many books held sacred by followers of the Bahá'í Faith; it is their primary theologicial Kalimát-i-Maknúnih (کلمات مکنونه or The Hidden Words is a book written in Baghdad around 1857 by Bahá'u'lláh The Seven Valleys ( Haft-Vádí) is a book written in Persian by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. The Bahá'í administration refers to the administrative system of the Bahá'í Faith. For the building see the Seat of the Universal House of Justice The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Spiritual Assembly is a term given by `Abdu'l-Bahá to refer to elected councils that govern the Bahá'í Faith. Bahá'í history is often traced through a sequence of leaders beginning with the Báb 's May 23 1844 declaration in Shiraz and ultimately resting on an The following is a basic timeline of the Bábí and Bahá'í religions emphasizing dates that are relatively well known Bábism () is a religious movement that flourished in Persia from 1844 to 1852 then lingered on in exile in the Ottoman Empire (especially Cyprus) as Shaykh Ahmad ibn Zayn ad-Dín ibn Ibráhím al-Ahsá'í ( was ( 1753 - 1826) was the founder of a 19th century Shi`i school in the Persian and Martha Louise Root ( August 19, 1872 &ndash September 28, 1939) was a prominent traveling teacher of the Bahá'í Faith in the late Táhirih ( "The Pure One" or Qurratu'l-`Ayn ( "Solace of the Eyes" are both titles of Fátimih Baraghání (b Badí‘ (‎(1852 - 1869 was the title of Mírzá Áqá Buzurg-i-Nishapuri, also known by his title the Pride of Martyrs, was the son of `Abdu'l-Majid-i-Nishapuri The Hands of the Cause of God, Hands of the Cause, or Hands (informally were a select group of Bahá'ís, appointed for life whose main function was to The official symbol of the Bahá'í Faith is the Five-pointed star, as mentioned by Shoghi Effendi: "Strictly speaking the 5-pointed Bahá'í laws are laws and ordinances used in the Bahá'í Faith, according to the instructions of the Bahá'u'lláh as written in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas The Bahá'í teachings represent a considerable number of theological social and spiritual ideas that were established in the Bahá'í Faith by its Central Figures The Bahá'í calendar, also called the Badí‘ calendar, used by the Bahá'í Faith, is a Solar calendar with regular years of 365 days and Leap The Bahá'í Faith has had challenges to leadership at the death of every head of the religion A Bahá'í pilgrimage currently consists of visiting the holy places in Haifa, Akká, and Bahjí at the Bahá'í World Centre in Northwest Prayer in the Bahá'í Faith is composed of reverent words which are addressed to God, and the act of prayer is one of the most important Bahá'í laws for individual Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Events 1333 - Flood of the Arno River, causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) The Bahá'í Faith is a Religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in nineteenth-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind

After the death of `Abdu'l-Bahá in 1921, the leadership of the Bahá'í community entered a new phase, evolving from that of a single individual to an administrative order with executive and legislative branches, the head of each being the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ( ar عبد البهاء &lrm (23 May 1844 - 28 November 1921 born `Abbás Effendí, was the son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the For the building see the Seat of the Universal House of Justice The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Shoghi Effendi was referred to as the Guardian, and held the explicit authority to interpret the writings of the three central figures of the religion and define the sphere of legislative authority. The following list sets down the name of each member of the Bahá'í Faith who is the subject of a Wikipedia article His writings are effectively limited to commentaries on the works of the Central Figures, and broad directives for the future.

Future hereditary Guardians were permitted in the Bahá'í scripture by appointment from one to the next, but a prerequisite that appointees be male descendants of Bahá'u'lláh left no living candidates that had not been excommunicated as covenant-breakers, and Shoghi Effendi died without making an appointment. Bahá'u'lláh ( ba-haa-ol-laa "Glory of God" ( November 12, 1817 – May 29, 1892) born Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí Nuri The Universal House of Justice, the only institution authorized to adjudicate on situations not covered in scripture, later announced that it could not legislate to make possible the appointment of a successor to Shoghi Effendi. For the building see the Seat of the Universal House of Justice The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the ^[1] To Bahá'ís he is the first and last Guardian.

Contents 1 Background 1.1 Tablet from `Abdu'l-Bahá 1.2 Education 1.3 Prelude to Guardianship 2 Guardianship 2.1 Death of `Abdu'l-Bahá 3 Major accomplishments 3.1 Translations and letters 4 Private life 4.1 Marriage 4.2 Suffering 4.3 Family members expelled 5 Unexpected death 5.1 Ministry of the Custodians 5.2 Election of the Universal House of Justice 6 Publications 7 Notes 8 References 9 See also 10 External links

Background

Born in `Akká in March 1897, Shoghi Effendi was related to The Báb through his father, Mírzá Hádí Shírází, and to Bahá'u'lláh through his mother, Díyá'íyyih Khánum, the eldest daughter of `Abdu'l-Bahá. Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad ( ( October 20, 1819 – July 9, 1850) was the founder of Bábism, and one of three central figures of the Bahá'u'lláh ( ba-haa-ol-laa "Glory of God" ( November 12, 1817 – May 29, 1892) born Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí Nuri ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ( ar عبد البهاء &lrm (23 May 1844 - 28 November 1921 born `Abbás Effendí, was the son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the From the early years of his life, Shoghi Effendi was greatly influenced by `Abdu'l-Bahá, who provided much of his initial training. Shoghi Effendi learned prayers from his grandfather `Abdu'l-Bahá, who encouraged him to chant. It was also `Abdu'l-Bahá who insisted that the appellation given to the child should be "Shoghi Effendi", ("Effendi" signifies "Sir"), rather than simply "Shoghi", as a mark of respect towards him.

From his early years, Shoghi Effendi was introduced to the suffering which accompanied the Bahá'ís in Akká, including the attacks by Mírzá Muhammad `Alí against `Abdu'l-Bahá. Mírzá Muhammad `Alí (1852-1937 ( was one of the sons of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. As a young boy, he was aware of Sultán `Abdu'l-Hamíd's desire to banish `Abdu'l-Bahá to the deserts of North Africa where he was expected to perish. At one point, Shoghi Effendi was warned not to drink coffee in the homes of any of the Bahá'ís in the fear that he would be poisoned.

Tablet from `Abdu'l-Bahá

Being the eldest grandson of `Abdu'l-Bahá, from his earliest childhood he had a special relationship with his grandfather. Dr. Baghdadi reports that when Shoghi Effendi was only 5 years old, he was pestering his grandfather to write a tablet for him, which was common for `Abdu'l-Bahá. He wrote the following for his grandson:

“

He is God! O My Shoghi, I have no time to talk, leave me alone! You said 'write' - I have written. What else should be done? Now is not the time for you to read and write, it is the time for jumping about and chanting 'O My God!', therefore memorize the prayers of the Blessed Beauty and chant them that I may hear them, because there is no time for anything else. [2]

”

Shoghi Effendi then set out to memorize a number of prayers, and chanted them as loud as he could. This caused family members to ask `Abdu'l-Bahá to quiet him down, a request which he apparently refused. ^[2]

Education

He first attended a French Christian Brothers school in Haifa, then boarding at another Catholic school in Beirut, Shoghi Effendi later attended the Syrian Protestant College (later known as the American University of Beirut) for his final years of high school and first years of university. The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (also known as the Christian Brothers, the Lasallian Brothers, the French Christian Brothers Haifa (חֵיפָה; حَيْفَا) is the largest City in Northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country with Beirut (بيروت Bayrūt) is the Capital and Largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2 The American University of Beirut (AUB الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت is a private independent University in Beirut, Lebanon. He reports being very unhappy in school and often returned on vacations to Haifa spent with `Abdu'l-Bahá.

During his studies, he dedicated himself to mastering English - adding this language to the Persian, Turkish, Arabic and French, languages in which he was already fluent - so that he could translate the letters of `Abdu'l-Bahá and serve as His secretary. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people

After studying at the American University of Beirut he later went to Balliol College, Oxford in England, where he matriculated in "Economics and Social Sciences", while still perfecting his translation skills. Balliol College (ˈbeɪlɪəl founded in 1263 is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Economics is the social science that studies the production distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The social sciences comprise academic disciplines concerned with the study of the social life of human groups and individuals including Anthropology, Communication studies

Prelude to Guardianship

The issue of successorship to `Abdu'l Bahá was in the minds of early Bahá'ís, and although the Universal House of Justice was an institution mentioned by Bahá'u'lláh, the institution of the Guardianship was not introduced until the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá was publicly read after his death. For the building see the Seat of the Universal House of Justice The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the A seminal document written in three stages by `Abdu'l-Bahá. Several sections were written under imminent threat of harm Bahá'u'lláh's own will mentions Mírzá Muhammad `Alí as following `Abdu'l Bahá in leadership, but he was excommunicated as a covenant-breaker and shunned by Bahá'ís. Mírzá Muhammad `Alí (1852-1937 ( was one of the sons of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. A Covenant-breaker or the act of Covenant-breaking is a term used by Bahá'ís to refer to a particular form of Heresy.

On the occasion of some Persian believers asking him about a successor, `Abdu'l Bahá responded:

“

. . . 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. [3]

”

On another occasion, Western believers, hearing of the birth of Shoghi Effendi, wrote to `Abdu'l Bahá and asked if this child is the one mentioned in the Bible in Isaiah 11:6 where it says "a little child shall lead them". The response was:

“

Verily, that child is born and is alive and from him will appear wondrous things that thou wilt hear of in the future. Thou shalt behold him endowed with the most perfect appearance, supreme capacity, absolute perfection, consummate power and unsurpassed might. . . ages and centuries will bear traces of him. [4]

”

Guardianship

`Abdu'l-Bahá's Will and Testament is considered one of the three charters of the Bahá'í Administrative Order. A seminal document written in three stages by `Abdu'l-Bahá. Several sections were written under imminent threat of harm The Bahá'í administration refers to the administrative system of the Bahá'í Faith. In it he laid down the authority of the Guardian and the Universal House of Justice:

“

. . . 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 Abha Beauty. . . Whatsoever they decide is of God. Whoso obeyeth him not, neither obeyeth them, hath not obeyed God; whoso rebelleth against him and against them hath rebelled against God; whoso opposeth him hath opposed God; whoso contendeth with them hath contended with God; whoso disputeth with him hath disputed with God; whoso denieth him hath denied God; whoso disbelieveth in him hath disbelieved in God; whoso deviateth, separateth himself and turneth aside from him hath in truth deviated, separated himself and turned aside from God. [5]

”

Death of `Abdu'l-Bahá

On 29 November 1921, the news of `Abdu'l-Bahá's death reached Shoghi Effendi, which left him "in a state of collapse," according to Tudor Pole, the deliverer of the cable. After spending a couple of days in bed, and making the proper arrangements, he arrived in Haifa on 29 December, and a few days later opened `Abdu'l-Bahá's Will and Testament, which was addressed to Shoghi Effendi.

In the Will Shoghi Effendi found that he had been designated as "the Sign of God, the chosen branch, the Guardian of the Cause of God". He also learned that he had been designated as this when he was still a small child.

Shoghi Effendi later expressed to his wife and others that he had no foreknowledge of the existence of the Institution of Guardianship, least of all that he was appointed as Guardian. The most he expected was perhaps, because he was the eldest grandson, `Abdu'l-Bahá might have left instructions as to how the Universal House of Justice was to be elected and he might have been designated as Convener of the gathering which would elect it.

Major accomplishments

During his ministry the Bahá'í Religion developed into a global faith. From the time of appointment until his death, the Bahá'í Faith grew from 100,000 to 400,000 members, and countries of representation went from 35 to 250.

For thirty-six years Shoghi Effendi developed the worldwide Bahá'í community and its administrative structure. Because the Bahá'í community was relatively small and undeveloped when he assumed the leadership of the Faith, he strengthened and developed it over many years to the point where it was capable of supporting the administrative structure envisioned by `Abdu'l-Bahá. Under Shoghi Effendi's direction, National Spiritual Assemblies were formed, and many thousands of Local Spiritual Assemblies sprang up as the Bahá'í Faith spread around the globe. Spiritual Assembly is a term given by `Abdu'l-Bahá to refer to elected councils that govern the Bahá'í Faith. Spiritual Assembly is a term given by `Abdu'l-Bahá to refer to elected councils that govern the Bahá'í Faith.

He also appointed 32 living Hands of the Cause, oversaw the completion of the superstructure of the Shrine of the Báb, appointed the International Bahá'í Council in 1951, launched the Ten Year Crusade in 1953, and acted as the official representative of the Faith to legal authorities in Palestine/Israel throughout many attempts by Covenant-breakers to take authority from him. The Hands of the Cause of God, Hands of the Cause, or Hands (informally were a select group of Bahá'ís, appointed for life whose main function was to The Shrine of the Báb is a structure in Haifa, Israel where the remains of the Báb, founder of Bábism and forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh The International Bahá'í Council (IBC is an administrative institution of the Bahá'í Faith, first created in 1951 as a precursor to the Universal House of Justice The Ten Year World Crusade (1953-1963 was launched by Shoghi Effendi in an effort to facilitate an organized expansion of the Bahá'í Faith. A Covenant-breaker or the act of Covenant-breaking is a term used by Bahá'ís to refer to a particular form of Heresy.

In a more "secular" cause, prior to World War II he supported the work of restoration-forester Richard St. Barbe Baker to reforest Palestine, introducing St. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Richard St Barbe Baker (1889-1982 was an English forester environmental activist and author who contributed greatly to worldwide Reforestation efforts Barbe Baker to religious leaders from the major faiths of the region, from whom backing was secured for such an effort. ^[6]

Translations and letters

In his lifetime, Shoghi Effendi translated in English many of the writings of the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá, as well as such historical texts as The Dawn-breakers. Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad ( ( October 20, 1819 – July 9, 1850) was the founder of Bábism, and one of three central figures of the Bahá'u'lláh ( ba-haa-ol-laa "Glory of God" ( November 12, 1817 – May 29, 1892) born Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí Nuri ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ( ar عبد البهاء &lrm (23 May 1844 - 28 November 1921 born `Abbás Effendí, was the son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the The Dawn-breakers or Nabíl's Narrative is a historical account of the early Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths penned by Nabíl-i-A`zam. His significance is not just that of a translator, but he was also the designated and authoritative interpreter of the Bahá'í writings. His translations therefore are a guideline for all future translations of the Bahá'í writings.

The only actual book he ever wrote was God Passes By in 1944 to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the religion. God Passes By, written by Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, is a book which provides a historical summary of the first century of the Bahá'í He also carried on a voluminous correspondence with believers from all parts of the globe. The total estimated number of letters that Shoghi Effendi wrote are over 30,000. ^[7] His letters to individuals and assemblies have been compiled into several books which stand out as significant sources of literature for Bahá'ís around the world.

He always signed his letters with simply "Shoghi". In 1922, soon after becoming Guardian, he requested that he be regarded as a "true brother", to be referred in letters and verbal addresses always as Shoghi Effendi, as opposed to any other appellation. ^[8]

Private life

Marriage

In 1937, Shoghi Effendi married Mary Maxwell entitled Rúhíyyih Khanum, a Canadian. Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khanum ( August 08, 1910 &ndash January 19, 2000) born Mary Maxwell was the wife of Shoghi Effendi She was the only child of May Maxwell, a disciple of `Abdu'l-Bahá, and William Sutherland Maxwell, a Canadian architect. May Maxwell (1870-1940 an early American member of the Bahá'í Faith, is best known as the mother of Rúhíyyih Khanum, and the wife of William Sutherland William Sutherland Maxwell (b November 14, 1874 - December 1951 is a well-known Canadian Architect and a Hand of the Cause in the Bahá'í Then herself 27 years old, Mary Maxwell was a tall, athletic active woman. In 1941, she became Shoghi Effendi's principal secretary in English. In 1951, Shoghi Effendi appointed her to the first International Bahá'í Council. The International Bahá'í Council (IBC is an administrative institution of the Bahá'í Faith, first created in 1951 as a precursor to the Universal House of Justice Shoghi Effendi and Rúhíyyih Khanum never had children.

Suffering

Rúhíyyih Khanum later published parts of her personal diaries to show glimpses of Shoghi Effendi's life. She recalls a great deal of pain and suffering caused by his immediate family, and Bahá'ís in Haifa.

“

If the friends only knew how the Master and the Guardian both suffered through the calibre of the local Bahá'ís. Some of them were good. But some were rotten. It's as if, when someone was unsound in the Covenant, they attacked the very body of the Manifestation, or the Exemplar, or the Guardian. I have seen this. It is like poison. He recovers from it, but it causes him untold suffering and it was from such things that the Master described Himself in His Will as 'this broken-winged bird. '[9]

”

“

They [`Abdu'l-Baha's family] have gone a long way to crushing every ounce of spirit out of the Guardian. By nature he is cheerful and energetic. . . But the perpetual strife of life with the Master's family. . . have clouded over him. . . Shoghi Effendi has been abused. That is the only word for it, abused, abused, abused. By now he has reached the point of a man fighting with his back to the wall. He says he will fight it out to the last round. [10]

”

Family members expelled

Throughout Shoghi Effendi's life, nearly all remaining family members and descendants of `Abdu'l-Bahá rebelled against his authority at some point, and were expelled by him as Covenant-breakers. A Covenant-breaker or the act of Covenant-breaking is a term used by Bahá'ís to refer to a particular form of Heresy. Other branches of Bahá'u'lláh's family had already been declared Covenant-breakers in `Abdu'l-Bahá's Will and Testament. Bahá'u'lláh ( "Glory of God" was the founder and prophet of the Bahá'í Faith.

At the time of his death, there were no descendants of Bahá'u'lláh that remained loyal to him, including his parents.

Unexpected death

Shoghi Effendi's death came unexpectedly in 1957 as he was traveling to Britain and caught the Asiatic flu. 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[11]

”

According to the framework of the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá, it was not possible to appoint a successor, and the legislative body "possessing the exclusive right to legislate on matters not explicitly revealed" was not yet established in the world. Furthermore, The Guardian left no will as attested to by the Hands of the Cause, who were required to ratify his selection. The Hands of the Cause of God, Hands of the Cause, or Hands (informally were a select group of Bahá'ís, appointed for life whose main function was to All of the 27 living Hands of the Cause unanimously signed a statement shortly after the death of Shoghi Effendi stating that he had died "without having appointed his successor. . . " (see full text).

Ministry of the Custodians

In Shoghi Effendi's final message to the Baha'i World, dated October 1957, he named the Hands of the Cause of God, "the Chief Stewards of Bahá'u'lláh's embryonic World Commonwealth. " (Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha'i World - 1950-1957, p. 127) Consequently, following Shoghi Effendi's passing, the Bahá'í Faith was temporarily stewarded by the Hands of the Cause, who elected among themselves 9 "Custodians" to serve in Haifa as the head of the Faith. The Hands of the Cause of God, Hands of the Cause, or Hands (informally were a select group of Bahá'ís, appointed for life whose main function was to The Custodians is terminology in the Bahá'í Faith, which refers to nine Hands of the Cause assigned specifically to work at the Bahá'í World Centre They reserved to the "entire body of the Hands of the Cause" the responsibility to determine the transition of the International Bahá'í Council into the Universal House of Justice, and that the Custodians reserved to themselves the authority to determine and expel Covenant-breakers. The International Bahá'í Council (IBC is an administrative institution of the Bahá'í Faith, first created in 1951 as a precursor to the Universal House of Justice For the building see the Seat of the Universal House of Justice The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the A Covenant-breaker or the act of Covenant-breaking is a term used by Bahá'ís to refer to a particular form of Heresy. ^[12]

This stewardship oversaw the execution of the final years of Shoghi Effendi's ordinances of the ten year crusade (which lasted until 1963) culminating and transitioning to the election and establishment of the Universal House of Justice, at the first Baha'i World Congress in 1963.

Election of the Universal House of Justice

At the end of the Ten Year Crusade, planned by Shoghi Effendi and concluding in 1963, the Universal House of Justice was first elected. The Ten Year World Crusade (1953-1963 was launched by Shoghi Effendi in an effort to facilitate an organized expansion of the Bahá'í Faith. For the building see the Seat of the Universal House of Justice The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the As its first order of business, the Universal House of Justice evaluated the situation caused by the fact that the Guardian had not appointed a successor. It determined that under the circumstances, given the criteria for succession described in the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá, there was no legitimate way for another Guardian to be appointed. A seminal document written in three stages by `Abdu'l-Bahá. Several sections were written under imminent threat of harm

Therefore, although the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá leaves provisions for a succession of Guardians, Shoghi Effendi remains the first and last occupant of this office. This is only disputed by relatively small groups of Bahá'ís who claim that the Guardianship continues. See Bahá'í divisions. The Bahá'í Faith has had challenges to leadership at the death of every head of the religion

Publications

See Bahá'í literature

Notes

References

• Giachery, Ugo (1973). Shoghi Effendi - Reflections. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0-85398-050-0.  

• Khadem, Riaz (1999). Shoghi Effendi in Oxford. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0-85398-423-9.  

• Rabbani, Ruhiyyih (Ed.) (1992). Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khanum ( August 08, 1910 &ndash January 19, 2000) born Mary Maxwell was the wife of Shoghi Effendi The Ministry of the Custodians 1957-1963. Bahá'í World Centre. ISBN 0-85398-350-X.  

• Rabbani, Ruhiyyih (1969). Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khanum ( August 08, 1910 &ndash January 19, 2000) born Mary Maxwell was the wife of Shoghi Effendi The Priceless Pearl, Hardcover, London, UK: Bahá'í Publishing Trust: 2000. ISBN 1-870989-91-0.  

• Effendi, Shoghi (1974). Bahá'í Administration. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-87743-166-3.  

• Khadem, Riaz (1999). Shoghi Effendi in Oxford. Oxford: George Ronald. ISBN 0-85398-423-9.  

See also

• Bahá'í administration
• Universal House of Justice
• Bahá'í World Centre

External links

• The work and life of Shoghi Effendi
• Writings of Shoghi Effendi in English
• Biography of Shoghi Effendi
• Directions to the Resting Place of Shoghi Effendi
• Writings of Shoghi Effendi in Persian, and Arabic
• Shoghi Effendi (Italiano)

The Bahá'í administration refers to the administrative system of the Bahá'í Faith. For the building see the Seat of the Universal House of Justice The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the The Bahá'í World Centre is the name given to the administrative centre of the Bahá'í Faith.

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