Having permanently
excluded the evils admittedly inherent in the institutions of the
"learned" in past dispensations, Bahá'u'lláh has nevertheless
embodied in His Administrative Order the beneficent elements which exist in
such institutions, elements which are of fundamental value for the progress of
the Cause, as can be gauged from even a cursory reading of the Guardian's
message of 4 June 1957.
The existence of
institutions of such exalted rank, comprising individuals who play such a vital
role, who yet have no legislative, administrative or judicial authority, and
are entirely devoid of priestly functions or the right to make authoritative
interpretations, is a feature of Bahá'í administration unparalleled in the
religions of the past. The newness and uniqueness of this concept make it
difficult to grasp; only as the Bahá'í Community grows and the believers are
increasingly able to contemplate its administrative structure uninfluenced by
concepts from past ages, will the vital interdependence of the
"rulers" and "learned" in the Faith be properly understood,
and the inestimable value of their interaction be fully recognized.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a
message dated 24 April 1972; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice
1968-1973’)
