The first guardian of the Baha’i Faith, Shoghi Effendi, prior to the appointment of the Hands of Cause of God, established the "first International Bahá’í Council"—"the first embryonic International Institution" of the Faith in his Proclamation of 9 January 1951.
This "first embryonic International Institution" was a complete and perfect Institution "from the first" but with limited functions initially that would be expanded as it evolved and as projected by Shoghi Effendi. As a complete and perfect Institution at the outset, it was nothing less than the Universal House of Justice in its embryonic form, and, as such, it necessarily possessed its embryonic and irremovable "sacred head"—its President, Mason Remey—appointed by Shoghi Effendi, and included a body of eight additional members, provisionally appointed by him, four of whom were Hands of the Cause, a body which, as he outlined in his Proclamation of 9 January 1951, would be subject to election in its future development.
Although Mason Remey was the President of this International Council (Provisional Universal House of Justice) it was never activated during the remaining seven years of the ministry of Shoghi Effendi as an actively functioning body under his Presidency but Shoghi Effendi did assign, from time to time, specific missions to individual members. Upon the passing of Shoghi Effendi, Mason Remey, as the President of this Council, would be able to convene the Council under his Presidency at which time the Council would then become the supreme Baha’i administrative body in the Baha’i world. Could the presiding Head of this now active body—the embryonic Universal House of Justice—be any other than the Guardian of the Faith?
The Master Abdu’l Baha states the following in His Will and Testament (Page No.15):
“By this body (UHJ) all the difficult problems are to be resolved and the guardian of the Cause of God is its sacred head.”
“Should he not attend in person its deliberations, he must appoint one to represent him.”
Can any Baha’i in the world provide an answer as to why the “Chair of the Guardian” is vacant in the so-called UHJ in Haifa? Who is the “sacred head” of their UHJ at this time?
Surely followers of the sans-Guardian UHJ are not in a position to reply. But I want to bring to the notice of those true Baha’is who believe in the basic Baha’i Principle of “The independent investigation of the Truth” that the Hands of the Cause, following the passing of Shoghi Effendi, completely ignored the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi’s plans for the future role and development of the International Council and never permitted the Council to assume any responsibility whatsoever for "directing the widely ramified operations" of the National Spiritual Assemblies, in the prosecution of the goals of the Ten Year Global Crusade as projected by Shoghi Effendi, or permitted the Secretary General of the Council, Leroy Ioas, or the secretaries of the Council for East and West, (Dr. Lotfullah Hakim and Ethel Revell, respectively) whom Shoghi Effendi had specifically appointed to perform these secretarial tasks, to write a single letter of instruction pertaining to these operations to the National Spiritual Assemblies of the world.
Instead, the Hands appointed an illegitimate body of nine Hands upon which they bestowed the title:
"The Custodians of the Bahá’í World Faith,” a body established completely outside the provisions of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, as a pseudo collective Guardianship, which assumed direction of the affairs of the Faith, including those affecting prosecution of the Ten Year Global Crusade, thus usurping both the role and functions of the Guardianship and the functions Shoghi Effendi had projected for the International Baha’i Council.
I particularly invite the attention of the Baha’is who hold no office in the sans-Guardian Baha’i Faith and ask them the following:
Do you know what happened after the death of Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Baha’i Faith?
Do you know about the reprehensible actions and the plotting of the Hands of the Cause following the passing of Shoghi Effendi?
Do you know that the “CUSTODIANS OF THE BAHA’I FAITH” appointed by the Hands of the Cause, following the passing of Shoghji Effendi, was an illegally established body as no such body is prescribed in the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha?
Do you know that you are not following the true Faith as you are adhering to an illegitimate man-made administrative System instead of the divinely-conceived, sacred and immortal Administrative Order bequeathed to us by ‘Abdu’l-Baha in His Will and Testament?
Are you sure that you will be in the Abha Kingdom after your death?
I am sure that you will be the loser.
In India, the ABMs, the Counselor, the Secretaries and the Tutors are instructing the Baha’is in conferences, NDFs and celebrations that:
1. When OBF tutors come to you don’t entertain them. Don’t talk to them.
2. Don’t read their literature and books and when received submit them to the ABM or the LSA.
3. Don’t visit their web sites.
4. Don’t reply to their letters/emails.
5. Stay away from them. They are like lepers.
6. They are Covenant-breakers.
7. Don’t panic about their activities. They are very few in number.
8. Don’t give your address to anyone.
A wise Baha’i can easily understand that the above instructions are contradictory and opposite to the Baha’i principle: “Independent Investigation of the Truth.” Therefore, I suggest to the sans-Guardian Bahais that they should leave the sans-Guardian pseudo Baha’i Faith they have embraced, if they are not willing to obey and submit themselves completely to the Holy Writings of Baha’u’lla and Abdu’l Baha and to the writings and messages of Shoghi Effendi and recognize his successor, the living Guardian of the Baha’i Faith that he appointed. There is no other way for you. Otherwise, you cannot rightfully call yourself a “Baha’i.” You are requested and urged to investigate thoroughly and fairly the spurious argument advanced by the Hands of the Cause that God had changed His mind (called “Bada” by them) about the continuance of the Guardianship of the Baha’i Faith and determine its validity or falsity, in the light facts enumerated above and in consideration of the further fact that the glorious Revelation of Baha’u’llah has ushered in the promised “Day of God?” Or has it all been because of the tragic misdeeds and plotting of the Hands of the Cause, following the passing of Shoghi Effendi, that the Chair of the Guardian of the Cause of God has been kept VACANT in Haifa these many years?
Hand of the Cause of God Dr. A Parikh
Note: At my request, the Guardian of the Faith has edited the above article and assisted me in expressing accurately and completely in the English language my arguments in support of the continuing Guardianship and in some instances has inserted pertinent phrases, terms or statements from his own writings which he considered would further strengthen my arguments.
AP
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