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Guardianship in Flux: Decoding the 'Bada' Shift in Bahá'í Faith

 


When Shoghi Effendi passed away suddenly in 1957, the hands of the cause met in secret deliberations to decide what should be done in the faith, now that Shoghi Effendi had passed on allegedly without naming a successor. They decided that God had changed his mind about the guardianship. There would be no continuing living guardians. Only Shoghi Effendi would continue to be guardian through his various writings and his oversight from the Abha kingdom. The word they used to express the idea that God had changed his mind was an Arabic word, BADA (Change in the plan of God).

 

The events after Shoghi Effendi’s death until election of the UH] were exceedingly strategic for the faith (1957-1963). This was a period when the faith had no infallible living spokesman nor infallible group or institution. The hands in the holy land spoke of it as “this dangerous time the Faith is passing through.” (Ministry of the Custodians, p. 68).

 

Several facts should be kept in mind. The sacred literature nowhere says the hands of the faith were infallible. This gives rise to many questions:

 

1.      If they were not infallible, could they make mistakes?

 

2.      Did they make any mistakes in the period between Shoghi Effendi’s death and the election of the UHJ, as the guardianship groups contend, they did?

 

3.      Were they authorized to proclaim something as Bada or was it done on their own discretion which may be wrong?

 

Shoghi Effendi’s widow, Ruhiyyih Khanum, who was not considered infallible, took a leading role in events following Shoghi Effendi’s passing. Baha’is looked to her as the late guardian’s widow to make decisions. She as much denies infallibility for herself and for anyone else, when she states in The Ministry of the Custodians:

 

“I would never claim that my impressions are a reflection of Shoghi Effendi’s motives; anyone who ever pretends to really understand the Center of the Covenant — be it Baba’u’llah, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, or Shoghi Effendi — immediately presumes equality, which is of course out of the question and utterly ridiculous” (Ministry of the Custodians, p. 4).

 

If neither Ruhiyyih Khanum nor the other hands were infallible, does this mean they could make mistakes?

 

Of course, the overwhelming majority of Baha’is agreed with them in their policies. But we must remember that before the Copernican revolution in astronomy, the majority of people living at the time were wrong in believing the earth was the center of the solar system (or what they called “the world,” meaning the universe). From all indications the geocentric view, rather than Copernicus’ heliocentric position, appeared to be correct. About everyone agreed with the geocentric view (that the sun revolved around the earth at the center).

 

The only problem was that it was entirely incorrect according to later findings of science. This is merely to point out that a majority is not always correct, and so a matter of truth cannot be determined by a show of hands. Majorities at times have been wrong.

 

So, the question of which side is correct in the guardianship dispute cannot be decided simply by majority rule. If that were so, the Haifa Baha’is would win hands down. The guardianists maintain that many mistakes were made in this crucial period (1957-1963). The issues must be decided by reference to those writings regarded by Baha’is as scripture. But now, there is no one in the faith to give an authoritative interpretation since the UH] (1963) is exclusively a legislative body.

 

Several questions present themselves:

 

Could Ruhiyyih Khanum have been wrong in wanting the guardianship closed?

 

Guardianship groups call her “the Arch Covenant-Breaker.” Shoghi Effendi often spoke through her. She was the liaison officer between Shoghi Effendi and the hands of the cause and between Shoghi and the IBC.

 

Did she have any authority after Shoghi Effendi’s passing?

 

Was she still liaison officer between Shoghi Effendi and the hands and the IBC?

 

Was Shoghi Effendi after his death still overseeing the affairs of the faith from the Abha kingdom?

 

In conclusion, the period following Shoghi Effendi's sudden passing in 1957 marked a critical juncture for the Bahá'í Faith. With the absence of an infallible living guardian or institution, the hands of the cause convened in secret discussions to navigate the faith's future course. Their decision to declare a change in the plan of God, using the Arabic term "Bada," signified a departure from the concept of continuing living guardianship. However, this period raised important questions regarding the authority and infallibility of the hands themselves. Stay tuned as we take a deep dive further to get an answer to these questions.

 

Courtesy: Baha'is in Exile by Vernon Elvin Johnson

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