On the Election of the Universal House of Justice: A story of opposition from the early days of the Guardian

It had generally been expected theat the Universal House of Justice would be established immediately after the death of ‘Abdu’l-Baha. The believers rightly supposed that his Will and Testament would include precise instructions as to how this institution was to be elected. In the event, however, these instructions were set out only as principles and there was no prescribed time-scale. It was therefore the responsibility of the Guardian to determine the appropriate time for the establishment of the Universal House of Justice.

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In Shoghi Effendi’s opinion, two essential conditions should, if possible, be fulfilled prior to the election of the Universal House of Justice. The first of these was that the Baha’i community — and hence the National Spiritual Assemblies from whom the members of the Universal House of Justice were to be elected — should become multinational in character, at least to a certain extent. The second was that the local and national institutions should be consolidated, and that they should have effectively taken over the functions assigned to them. The development and strengthening of these foundations were to be a major focus of Shoghi Effendi’s work.

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Nevertheless, some influential Iranian believers insisted on the immediate election of the Universal House of Justice and turned against Shoghi Effendi when he did not comply with their demands. In all these cases, the authenticity of the Wiull and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha remained undisputed. The personal integrity of those who had served as witnesses to its first reading was well known and above suspicion, ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s handwriting and style were familiar from innumerable letters. Opposition to Shoghi Effendi developed in spite of and contrary to the terms of the testament. It was not the authenticity of the Will and Testament that was challenged; the question raised by the small number of opponents was rather whether ‘Abdu’l-Baha was authorized to draw up such a ruling, or at least whether his choice had been wise.

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The personal opposition which came partly from within his own family, overshadowed the early years of the Guardianship. The development of the structures of the community, however, continued unabated, irrespective of this opposition. Despite the prominence of certain opponents, the loyalty of the community was not affected.

Members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo register on 26 April for the International Baha’i Convention in Haifa, Israel. (BWNS)

 

 

A convention participant pauses at the entrance to the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel.