The system of Bahá'í Administration is "indissolubly
bound with the essential verities of the Faith" as set forth in the
writings of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá. A unique feature of this system is
the appointment of authorized interpreters, in the persons of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and
the Guardian, to provide authoritative statements on the intent of
Bahá'u'lláh's revelation. Writing in The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, Shoghi
Effendi stated that "Abdu'l-Bahá and the Guardian share ... the right and
obligation to interpret the Bahá'í Teachings". In relation to his own
function as interpreter, he further stated that "the Guardian has been
specifically endowed with such power as he may need to reveal the purport and
disclose the implications of the utterances of Bahá'u'lláh and of
'Abdu'l-Bahá". The significance of this important provision is that the
religion of God is safeguarded and protected against schism and its essential
unity is preserved.
(The Universal House of Justice, from a letter dated 31 May
1988 to a National Spiritual Assembly)
