The Bahá’í World : Volume 2 : 1926-1928

IT IS significant of the completeness of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh that the text of His Book provided for every emergency confronting human souls in this age. The supreme test of the Bahá’í Faith had in fact already been successfully met during the days which followed the ascension of Bahá’u’lláh in 1892. By the appointment of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the Center of His Covenant, Bahá’u’lláh prolonged His own ministry for well-nigh thirty years, a period coinciding with an entire generation and therefore sufficient to withstand the onslaughts of those ambitious persons who arose to overthrow or pervert the Faith from within and without its ranks. For the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, according to the text of this appointment, have equal rank and spiritual validity with those of the Manifestation (i. e., Bahá’u’lláh).

Thus, during the ministry of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Cause of Baha'u'llah was not only safeguarded from confusion and division, it was vastly extended into Europe, America and the Far East, and the fundamental literature of the Faith wa samplified by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s public addresses and Tablets, many of which were directed to the administrative side of Bahá’í service. By 1921, the outer form of this community had been fairly defined in many localities and impressed upon the habits as well as thoughts of the believers.

Despite this fact, it is more than doubtful, it is positively certain, that the world-wide Baha'i community could not have survived the shock of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing, and perpetuated its complex unity into the future, had He not made definite provision for a point of unity acceptable to all the believers and a continuance of that administrative authority which is the body of the soul of faith.

These provisions were made in the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, excerpts from which follow. By the appointment of a Guardian of the Bahá’í Cause. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá created an executive head and center possessing unquestioned consecration and capacity for the tremendous task of inspiring the world-wide Bahá’í community to develop along the path of human service marked out for it in the Religion of Bahá’u’lláh.

—Editors.

ALL-PRAISE to Him who, by the Shield of His Covenant, hath guarded the Temple of His Cause from the darts of doubtfulness, who by the Hosts of His Testament hath preserved the Sanctuary of His Most Beneficent Law and protected His Straight and Luminous Path, staying thereby the onslaught of the company of Covenant-breakers, that have threatened to subvert His Divine Edifice; who hath watched over His Mighty Stronghold and All-glorious Faith, through the aid of men whom the slander of the slanderer affects not, whom no earthly calling, glory and power can turn aside from the Covenant of God and His Testament, established firmly by His clear and manifest words, writ and revealed by His All-glorious Pen and recorded in the Preserved Tablet.

Salutation and praise, blessing and glory rest upon that primal branch of the Divine and Sacred Lote-Tree, grown out, blest, tender, verdant and flourishing from the Twin Holy Trees; the most wondrous, unique and priceless pearl that doth gleam from out the twin surging seas; upon the offshoots of the Tree of Holiness, the twigs of the Celestial Tree, they that in the Day of the Great Dividing have stood fast and firm in the Covenant; upon the Hands (pillars) of the