It was the Guardian
himself, the beloved "sign of God", who, through his exposition and
interpretation of the Revelation, through his discipline and education of the
Bahá'í community and through a series of national plans assigned to the various
units of that community, forged the Administrative Order of the Faith and made
it an instrument for the carrying out of this great Charter [Tablets of the
Divine Plan], and he himself designed and launched the first global plan, the
unique, brilliant and spiritually glorious Ten Year Crusade. The victories of
that crusade implanted the banner of Bahá'u'lláh throughout the planet and the
following Nine Year Plan reinforced and extended the bastions of the Faith and
raised the number of National Spiritual Assemblies the - supporting pillars of
the Universal House of Justice -- to one hundred and thirteen, a number
increased to one hundred and fifteen by the formation at this Ridvan of the
National Spiritual Assemblies of Hong Kong and South East Arabia.
- The
Universal House of Justice (Ridvan 131, 1974)
