"lighten and uplift them, so that they may soar on the wings of the Divine verses" -Baha'u'llah

Shoghi Effendi


The Era of the Guardian : The Work of Shoghi Effendi

On 28 November 1921, `Abdu'l-Bahá passed away peacefully in His sleep. Like His father, `Abdu'l-Bahá was concerned with the potential for religious schism after His passing. So He, too, left a clear and explicit will and testament--an extension of the Covenant established by Bahá'u'lláh. 

In that document, `Abdu'l-Bahá appointed His oldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, to succeed Him as Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith. The Guardianship was an institution anticipated by Bahá'u'lláh. 

In this office, Shoghi Effendi was the authoritative interpreter of the Bahá'í teachings.
  



Shoghi Effendi

Born in Acre on 1 March 1897, Shoghi Effendi spent much of his early childhood at `Abdu'l-Bahá's knee. He attended the American University in Beirut, and then Oxford University in England--which gave him a superb knowledge of the English language and of Western culture.

During Shoghi Effendi's ministry, the Bahá'í Faith became a truly global religion. At the time of `Abdu'l-Bahá's passing;in 1921, there were 100,000 Bahá'ís. Most were Iranian, and most lived in Iran or other countries in the Middle East. A handful of followers lived in India, Europe, and North America--about 35 countries in all. Some 36 years later, by the time of Shoghi Effendi's passing in 1957, there were about 400,000 Bahá'ís, and they resided in more than 250 countries, territories and colonies.

The letters of Shoghi Effendi also developed guidelines for the system of elections and group decision-making that has become one of the Bahá'í Faith's distinguishing features. He wrote letters to fledgling Bahá'í institutions that explained the implications of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings on issues ranging from family life to world government. He elaborated on the relationship of the Bahá'í Faith to other religions and doctrines. His lucid and incisive writings further helped to clarify the distinctive Bahá'í views on matters of ethics, theology and history. 

Perhaps most important, insofar as the growth of the Bahá'í Faith is concerned, Shoghi Effendi's letters to the Bahá'í world provided a continuing source of encouragement and support. Although the Bahá'í Faith today enjoys wide respect, to become a Bahá'í in the 1930s, 1940s, or 1950s was to expose oneself to suspicion and ridicule. 

Shoghi Effendi's clear vision of the Bahá'í Faith as God's revelation to our age, and his certainty of its ultimate triumph, helped to invigorate a generation of believers who, though few in number, were responsible for having spread Bahá'u'lláh's message to every corner of the globe.
  


  
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Excerpted from The Bahá'ís, a publication of the Bahá'í International Community.             


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