“It would, however, be helpful and instructive to bear in mind certain basic principles
with reference to the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha, which, together with
the Kitab-i-Aqdas, constitutes the chief depository wherein are enshrined those
priceless elements of that Divine Civilization, the establishment of which is
the primary mission of the Baha'i Faith. A study of the provisions of these
sacred documents will reveal the close relationship that exists between them, as
well as the identity of purpose and method which they inculcate. Far from
regarding their specific provisions as incompatible and contradictory in spirit,
every fair-minded inquirer will readily admit that they are not only
complementary, but that they mutually confirm one another, and are inseparable
parts of one complete unit. A comparison of their contents with the rest of
Baha'i sacred Writings will similarly establish the conformity of whatever they
contain with the spirit as well as the letter of the authenticated writings and
sayings of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha. In fact, he who reads the Aqdas with
care and diligence will not find it hard to discover that the Most Holy Book
itself anticipates in a number of passages the institutions which 'Abdu'l-Baha
ordains in His Will. By leaving certain matters unspecified and unregulated in
His Book of Laws, Baha'u'llah seems to have deliberately left a gap in the
general scheme of Baha'i Dispensation, which the unequivocal provisions of the
Master's Will have filled. To attempt to divorce the one from the other, to
insinuate that the Teachings of Baha'u'llah have not been upheld, in their
entirety and with absolute integrity, by what 'Abdu'l-Baha has revealed in His
Will, is an unpardonable affront to the unswerving fidelity that has
characterized the life and labors of our beloved Master.”
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi
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