Having overlooked, inexcusably ignored and obviously forgotten these decisions, one of which was of such momentous import that it was announced in a Proclamation sent via cablegram to the then National Spiritual Assemblies of the Bahá'í World. This message, opening with the word: "Proclaim," pertained to his decision to establish "at long last" the "first International Institution" of the Faith at the World Center. This decision was followed by a message of unsurpassed significance that projected his early passing and identified, indirectly his appointed successor.

The messages in which these decisions were acclaimed and, in one instance proclaimed, are published, with one notable exception, in the book entitled: MESSAGES TO THE BAHÁ'Í WORLD, 1950-1957.

Any faithful Bahá'í or unbiased scholar who spends any time at all reviewing comments on the Internet made by believers who have embraced the Faith, subsequent to the passing of Shoghi Effendi, soon perceives that these believers have no knowledge whatsoever of the highly important and significant decisions to be found in these messages as it was obviously not in the interest of the illegitimate sans-Guardian organization, initially created by the erring Hands of the Cause, immediately following the passing of Shoghi Effendi, and since perpetuated by their sans-Guardian organization, to make any reference to them, or bring them to the attention of new believers. It is not surprising therefore, that these new believers have revealed the fact that they are unaware and ignorant of these epoch-making and historic messages.* There is less excuse, however, for their obvious blatant lack of knowledge of the pertinent writings of Shoghi Effendi pertaining to the divinely-revealed genesis, character and principles of the Administrative Order such as he has discussed comprehensively in "The Dispensation of Baha'u'llah." Moreover, they have displayed an equally shocking ignorance of the provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, not to mention those Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá which have eulogized Mason Remey in unprecedented terms and which have clearly attested to his exemplary fidelity to the Covenant, his exalted character, the sincerity of his motives and, most importantly and significantly, included his remarkable prophecy of the unique destiny that awaited him.

Consequently, they continue to present their spurious and often inane arguments accusing him of being self-seeking (completely contrary to the Words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá about the nobility of his character and a view that would be shared by anyone who knew him well) or they contended that he was ineligible to be the Guardian as he was not an Aghsán, or descended from the blood line of Bahá'u'lláh, or not conversant in the Farsi language (although these eligibility requirements are not stated in the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá) or that his Guardianship had not been approved by the entire body of the former Hands, (further evidence of their ignorance of the provisions of the Will and Testament and Shoghi Effendi's statement on this matter) which further reflects the fact that those making these arguments have either never read, or have chosen to ignore the counter-arguments and clarifying explanations that are to be found on these subjects in our several web pages and which have been posted from time to time on the Bahá'í newsgroups and chat forums, which have provided conclusive proof of the falsity of their baseless arguments and contentions, and which have been consistently substantiated, as applicable, with passages quoted from the Will and Testament, the Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the writings of Shoghi Effendi.

Shoghi Effendi’s one and only Proclamation, issued during his ministry, opened with the words: "Proclaim National Assemblies (of) East and West weighty epoch-making decision (of) formation (of) first International Bahá’í Council" and referred to it significantly as "this first embryonic International Institution." He further acclaimed this "historic decision" as the "most significant milestone in the evolution of the Administrative Order" and hailed (with) "thankful joyous heart at long last the constitution (of the) International Council which history will acclaim as the greatest event shedding lustre upon (the) second epoch of (the) Formative Age of the Bahá'í Dispensation potentially unsurpassed by any enterprise undertaken since (the) inception of (the) Administrative Order of (the) Faith on (the) morrow of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Ascension..."

He explained that he had been induced to make this "weighty epoch-making decision," for the following significant reasons:

The "Fulfillment of prophecies uttered by (the) Founder of (the) Faith and Center of His Covenant culminating in (the) establishment (of) Jewish State signalizing birth after lapse (of) two thousand years (of an) independent nation in the Holy Land..."

It should be understood that "the present adequate maturity" of the nine vigorously functioning National Assemblies mentioned above was vitally important and significant for they would be subordinate national bodies to the International Bahá’í Council, which had been appointed some eleven months earlier, and would be receiving and responding to directions issued by the International Council in the prosecution of the goals of the Ten Year Global Crusade scheduled to commence in 1953, as projected in Shoghi Effendi’s message of 23 November 1951, discussed below.

This message identified Mason Remey as the one whom Shoghi Effendi had appointed as President of the International Bahá’í Council. Significantly, however, and for good reason, Shoghi Effendi did not direct Mason Remey to convene the Council under his Presidency, as a fully functioning administrative body, during the remaining seven years of his ministry and even appointed Rúhíyyih Khánum in his message of 8 March 1952 as the "chosen liaison" between himself and the Council to preclude thereby any semblance of the assumption of the Presidency himself of this "first embryonic International Institution" – the embryonic Universal House of Justice – identified initially and provisionally as the International Council, which, once it became a functioning administrative body, would necessarily be presided over by the Guardian of the Faith.

3. Message of 23 November 1951

In this message Shoghi Effendi clearly projects the future active role of the "Central Body" – the International Bahá’í Council – appointed by him some eleven months earlier in his Proclamation of 9 January, a role in which the Council would be, as he stated: "directing these widely ramified operations" of the "National Assemblies of the Bahá’í world" at some period during the prosecution of the Ten Year Global Crusade scheduled to commence at Ridván 1953. In order to assume direction of the operations of the National Assemblies, the International Council would, of necessity, no longer remain an inactive Institution and would emerge from this state in which it had been carefully retained by Shoghi Effendi following its appointment during the remaining years of his ministry. Its President, appointed by Shoghi Effendi, would then no longer remain in waiting as the unborn embryonic Guardian-to-be. In order for this event to take place, the clear implication was that Shoghi Effendi had foreseen that his passing would occur during the Ten Year Global Crusade (1953-1963) at which time Mason Remey would then preside as the active President of an actively functioning Council which was none other than the embryonic Universal House of Justice whose "sacred head" could be none other than the Guardian of the Faith under the terms of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, keeping in mind the Words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (found on page 313 of BWF) wherein He states: "the embryo possesses from the first all perfections... in one word, all the powers — but they are not visible, and become so only by degrees," and the significant fact that the composition of the Universal House of Justice, as an embryonic body, comprises, at its very inception, an appointed irremovable head – the Guardian – and an elected body).

It is evident therefore that, for Shoghi Effendi to state in this message that the "Central Body" – the International Bahá’í Council – would be directing the National Spiritual Assemblies in their achievement of the goals of the Ten Year Global Crusade, he had to have foreseen that his own ministry would be coming to an end before, or during that Crusade, and he had therefore, in fact, predicted his own passing, in this open but indirect manner and in anticipation that his appointed successor would then assume the Presidency of a fully functioning Council coincident with his passing, and thereby succeed to the Guardianship of the Faith. Unfortunately, neither the Hands of the Cause nor any of the believers in the Bahá’í World perceived at the time of Shoghi Effendi’s passing, or at any time prior or subsequent thereto, the tremendous implications attached to the active role that Shoghi Effendi had projected for the International Bahá'í Council in this message, a role that indirectly further confirmed the identity of his successor and portended his own unexpected and sudden passing which actually took place at the mid-point of that Crusade in November 1957.

As a result, upon Shoghi Effendi’s passing, the Hands of the Cause immediately and illegitimately seized and usurped supreme authority over the affairs of the Faith and never permitted the International Council, to perform its rightful role as the embryonic Universal House of Justice and one which had been clearly projected by Shoghi Effendi. Instead, they relegated the International Council to a minor role, subordinate to a body of nine Hands appointed from their own body whom they titled: "Custodians of the Bahá'í World Faith," an undeniably illegitimate body outside of the provisions of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Will and Testament, and restricted the Council's functions to the originally assigned and admittedly temporary limited functions that had been defined by Shoghi Effendi, as enumerated above, involving activities solely in the Holy Land. In so doing, they completely disregarded the fact that Shoghi Effendi had stated, in his Proclamation, concerning the initial functions assigned the Council that: "To these will be added further functions (in) course (of) evolution (of) this first embryonic International Institution..." and incredulously assigned to the illegitimate body of the Custodian Hands, not only the functions of the Guardianship, as they proclaimed that this body would assume "all such functions, rights and powers in succession to the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith," but those that should have been rightfully exercised by the International Bahá'í Council. Yet, notwithstanding its alleged supremacy, its reign, would endure for only some five years when according to their announced plans it would be replaced with an equally illegitimate body at Ridván 1963 with an elected sans-Guardian Universal House of Justice.

If the Hands had taken the time to review the messages of Shoghi Effendi issued during the last seven years of his ministry, as he erected "at long last" the international institutions of the Faith at the World Center, they would have read this significant message which included the following phrase: "At the World Center of the Faith, where, at long last the machinery of its highest institutions has been erected, and around whose most holy shrines the supreme organs of its unfolding Order, are in their embryonic form, unfolding..." If the Hands had read this message, there could have been no doubt, whatsoever, in their minds, that the International Council was not a temporary or provisional body destined to be replaced by a Universal House of Justice, but that this Council was already undeniably that body, although in its embryonic form and initially established by Shoghi Effendi under the title of the International Bahá'í Council. Perhaps they then would have permitted this body to exercise its functions, once it became active, as the supreme administrative body in the Bahá'í World and realized that it had been, in the light of its future enlarged functions that Shoghi Effendi, in his message of 8 March 1952, had identified his further appointments of the Secretary General of the Council, (Hand of the Cause, Leroy Ioas) and Secretaries for the East and West. With such a realization they certainly would not have usurped the functions of that body as they actually did, not to mention the role, functions and rights of the Guardian of the Cause of God.

It would have then been clear to the Hands why Shoghi Effendi had carefully retained the International Council in an inactive state during his ministry and why he had never directed its President to convene the Council as a functioning administrative body during the remaining seven years of his ministry. For this had precluded its embryonic head — his successor — from emerging into active life. And it would also have been equally be clear why he had assigned tasks only to individual members of the Council during his ministry, as recounted by Mason Remey.

In this last message of Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá’í World, a month before his passing, he appointed a final contingent of the Hands of the Cause of God and referred to the Hands, for the first time, as the "Chief Stewards of Bahá’u’lláh’s embryonic World Commonwealth." Having reached their hasty and unwarranted conclusion that the Guardianship had come to an end with his passing, they interpreted Shoghi Effendi’s reference to them in this message as "Chief Stewards" to mean, as they stated in their "unanimous proclamation" of 25 November 1957, that they had become "the supreme body of the Bahá’i World Community while failing to see the irrationality and inconsistency to be found in this claim as, under their own plans in their sans-Guardian Faith, the "Chief Stewards," — this self-proclaimed "supreme body of the Bahá’í World Community," — would soon be no more, as its members successively died, much less exist at all in the future Commonwealth of Bahá’u’lláh. For, fallaciously convinced as they were that the Guardianship had forever ended, there would be no future Guardians in their sans-Guardian Faith to appoint Hands of the Cause and therefore there would be no future "Chief Stewards." On the contrary, what these Hands of the Cause tragically failed to realize and most importantly failed to perceive in this last message penned by Shoghi Effendi was the undeniable implication and paramount significance to be found in Shoghi Effendi's statement that they were "Chief Stewards of Bahá’u’lláh’s embryonic World Commonwealth" a Commonwealth that would only evolve over time from its initially embryonic state into a mature Commonwealth in the far future. As there would have to be future Guardians to appoint future Hands of the Cause – future "Chief Stewards" – Shoghi Effendi had, in this way and again in an indirect manner, promised the continuation of the Guardianship as well as the other Institutions of our Faith as delineated in the divinely-conceived sacred and immutable provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdul-Bahá.

Joel Bray Marangella

Third Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith

Australia, March, 2004

* An outstanding exception is found in a group of African believers, including individuals with a legal background (e.g. a Judge) who state that they spent two years studying the extensive documentation posted on the Internet that has presented all sides of the question of the continuation of the Guardianship, both pro and con, with the result that they came to the inevitable conclusion that "the Bahá'í Faith MUST BE HEADED BY A GUARDIAN and is HEADED BY A GUARDIAN"