The Guardian of the Baha'i Faith
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Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Rúhíyyih Khánum, The Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, London: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1988, bahai-library.com.
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The Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith

Rúhíyyih Khánum

London: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1988

single page

chapter 1

CONTENTS

Foreword, by David Hofman xiii
I Childhood and Youth 1
II 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Ascension and its Consequences 13
III Early Years of the Guardianship 29
IV Martha Root and Queen Marie 39
V A Many Splendoured Personality 53
VI The Deepest Ties 65
VII The War Years 71
VIII The Writings of Shoghi Effendi 83
IX Creation of a World Headquarters 99
X The Heart and Nerve Centre 121
XI The Rise of the Administrative Order 145
XII Fundamental Truths and Guidelines 169
XIII The Spiritual Conquest of the Globe 197
XIV A Unique Ministry 229
Index 241

[page ix]

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

'Abdu'l-Bahá's eldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi Frontispiece

Birthplace of the Guardian Between pages 10-11
The Priceless Pearl
Shoghi Effendi and his sister
That child is born
The young scholar at his ease
The map maker's work
Study years in Beirut
'Abdu'l-Bahá on the steps of His home

The Master's secretary 34-35
Shoghi Effendi in oriental robes
Shoghi Effendi in his early twenties
Shoghi Effendi before he became Guardian
Shoghi Effendi with Harry Randall
The samovar

'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi 50-51
Some distinguished Bahá'ís with 'Abdu'l-Bahá
Shoghi Effendi in Alexandria, Egypt
Shoghi Effendi, 1920-1921

Balliol College, Oxford University 66-67
Balliol College, Junior Common Room
A gathering in Manchester, England
The first flight?

[page x]

Shoghi Effendi with Dr. J.E. Esslemont 82-83
The Guardian after his return to Haifa
'Abdu'l-Bahá's home
The Tomb of the Bab

The Tomb of the Bab on Mt. Carmel 90-91
The Guardian and Bahiyyih Khanum
The Guardian's handwriting
Shoghi Effendi in the early 1920's

The young Guardian in Switzerland 122-123
Interlaken, Switzerland
Shoghi Effendi in the Alps
Rivers, mountains and glaciers
The Guardian became a mountaineer
The indomitable enthusiast
The top of the mountain
Shoghi Effendi and his guide

Mountain hazards 154-155
Shoghi Effendi walking in the Swiss Alps
On top of the world
Bicycling over snowy passes

The mountaineer 162-163
A photograph by Shoghi Effendi
Victoria Falls, Rhodesia, 1929
A ferry on the Nile

African views 178-179
A photograph by the Guardian
Safari
The Guardian studies his gardens

[page xi]

Two views of Mt. Carmel 194-195
The Shrine on Mt. Carmel
The Shrine of the Bab on Mt. Carmel
The development of Mt. Carmel by Shoghi Effendi

The transformation of Mt. Carmel 210-211
Buildings erected by Shoghi Effendi
That Sacred Spot
The Resting-place of the Greatest Holy Leaf
The handwriting of Shoghi Effendi
Aerial view of Bahji

Bahá'u'lláh's Tomb in Bahji 234-235
The Most Holy Tomb
Facsimile of Shoghi Effendi's handwriting
Facsimiles of Queen Marie's handwriting
The Guardian
The Funeral of Shoghi Effendi in London
The Grave of the Guardian

[page xiii]

Foreword

Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, and appointed Expounder of the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, its Founder, is the one human being in all history, past, present or future, to exercise the greatest influence on the ultimate shape and modus operandi of the social order of the world. He is the one who understood the vision of his great-grandfather Bahá'u'lláh and his grandfather 'Abdu'l-Bahá — respectively the Revealer and the Interpreter of teachings destined to reshape the divisive society of the present world and usher in an era of universal peace — and applied Their doctrines in practical terms to the organization of such a future state of society. There cannot be, on this planet, a greater social or political unit than World Order. It is Shoghi Effendi who, while not the architect of that consummation, is certainly its chief builder and engineer. He laid the foundations of the Administrative Order of a Faith which, as it develops, will come — as he stated — "to be regarded not only as the nucleus but the very pattern of the New World Order destined to embrace in the fullness of time the whole of mankind."

Only his widow, Ruhiyyih Rabbani, could have written this book. For twenty years she was his wife, and for sixteen of those years his personal secretary; she was his close companion and his representative on many occasions. In a cable to the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, her homeland, he designated her as "my helpmate, my shield in warding off the darts of Covenant breakers and my tireless collaborator in the arduous tasks I shoulder." She shared in all the circumstances of his life and knew the pressures and restrictions both within and without the Bahá'í community which imposed themselves on his total dedication to his divinely-appointed task. She observed his deep love for his fellow Bahá'ís and his constant concern for their spiritual and material welfare.

[page xiv]

It is apparent that countless eulogies, evaluations, acclamations, biographies and panegyrics of the God-given genius of Shoghi Effendi will be added in future to the already proliferating number. The prime depository of source material for such works will forever be The Priceless Pearl, Ruhiyyih Rabbani's own version of her illustrious husband's life and mission, of which this sister volume constitutes a more compact presentation. We can offer the gratitude of posterity to Ruhiyyih Rabbani for this clear and authentic account of his life and endeavours. But for the present generations, and particularly those of us who served under the beloved Guardian, no expressions of thanks can be adequate for the personal glimpses of our "true brother" — as he was wont to sign his letters — in action and in his daily life. This book, dealing so intimately with the life of a man who in 36 years of ministry left an indelible imprint on the fortunes of mankind, will outwear the ravages of time as it continues to bear authentic witness to the life and personality of Shoghi Effendi.

David Hofman

[page 1]

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-- The Guardian of the Baha'i Faith (Used by permission of the curator)