Abbas Effendi's Will & Testament
The institution of guardianship
10. The institution of guardianship
The institution of guardianship was Sir Abbas Effendi's innovation in flagrant violation of Baha's Will and Testament. Sir Abbas Effendi made no provision for guardianship in default of Shoghi Effendi's lineal descendants. With the death of Shoghi Effendi without issue the institution of guardianship ceased & determined the Hands of the Cause of God were first nominated and appointed by Shoghi Effendi. They in their turn elected a council of nine from amongst themselves to assist Shoghi Effendi in his work. With death of their appointer Shoghi Effendi without issue the appointment of the Hands of the Cause of God and the Council of nine the appointment of the Hands of the Cause of God ceased and the council of nine lapsed.
Sir Abbas Effendi's concept of an intentional or Universal House of Justice conflicts with Baha's concept of proposed House of Justice.
What Baha had in mind was a Bahai state with a representative system of government, competent to legislate on Civil law, for which there is no quotable text in the Aqdas. In either case, no House of Justice may function without an executive force, namely, a government machinery to implement its laws. To say the least, Baha's provisions relating to the House of Justice are dormant.
In his book entitled God Passes By, P.411, Shoghi Effendi states that "the codification of the Kitab-i-Aqdas and the systematic promulgation of its laws & ordinances measures for the institution of Bahai courts, their laws and ordinances, still remain to be undertaken."
On the other hand, according to Shoghi Effendi, "unreserved acceptance of, and submission to, whatsoever has been revealed by their Pen [i.e. the Primal Point, Baha & Sir Abbas Effendi]" is incumbent upon members of the Bahai Spiritual Assembly, local or national. This means that the writings of these have to be sorted out and codified before any Spiritual Assembly proceeds to business. Most of these writings are conflicting and contradictory.
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