whoso opposeth him hath opposed God; whoso
contendeth with them hath contended with God....(52)

Shoghi Effendi has explained the significance of this extraordinary Text:

The Administrative Order which this historic Document has established, it
should be noted, is, by virtue of its origin and character, unique in the
annals of the world's religious systems. No Prophet before Baha'u'llah, it
can be confidently asserted,... has established, authoritatively and in
writing, anything comparable to the Administrative Order which the
authorized Interpreter of Baha'u'llah's teachings has instituted, an Order
which ... must and will, in a manner unparalleled in any previous
religion, safeguard from schism the Faith from which it has sprung.(53)

Before the reading and promulgation of the Will and Testament, the great
majority of the members of the Faith had assumed that the next stage in
the evolution of the Cause would be the election of the Universal House of
Justice, the institution founded by Baha'u'llah Himself in the
Kitab-i-Aqdas as the governing body of the Baha'i world. An important fact
for present-day Baha'is to understand is that prior to this point the
concept of Guardianship was unknown to the Baha'i community. There was
widespread rejoicing at the news of the unique distinction that the Master
had conferred on Shoghi Effendi and the continuing link with the Founders
of the Faith that his role represented. Until then, however, there had
been no appreciation of Baha'u'llah's intent that such an institution
should emerge or of the interpretive function it would have to perform--a
function whose vital importance has since become readily apparent and
which hindsight makes clear was implicit in certain of His Writings.

What was entirely beyond the imagination of anyone then living, whether
faithful or ill-disposed, was the transformation in the life of the Cause
that the Will of the Master set in motion. "Were ye to know what will come
to pass after Me," 'Abdu'l-Baha had declared, "surely would ye pray that
my end be hastened"? (54)

V

An appreciation of the place of the Guardianship in Baha'i history must
begin with an objective consideration of the circumstances in which Shoghi
Effendi's mission had to be carried out. Particularly important is the
fact that the first half of this ministry unfolded between wars, a period
marked by deepening uncertainty and anxiety about all aspects of human
affairs. O