During the thirty-six years of his ministry, Shoghi Effendi
raised up the structure of elected Spiritual Assemblies— the Houses of Justice
referred to in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, now in their embryonic stage—and with their
collaboration initiated the systematic implementation of the Divine Plan that
‘Abdu’l-Bahá had laid out for the diffusion of the Faith throughout the world.
He also set in motion, on the basis of the strong administrative structure that
had been established, the processes which were an essential preparation for the
election of the Universal House of Justice. This body, which came into
existence in April 1963, is elected through secret ballot and plurality vote in
a three-stage election by adult Bahá’ís throughout the world. The revealed Word
of Bahá’u’lláh, together with the interpretations and expositions of the Centre
of the Covenant and the Guardian of the Cause, constitute the binding terms of
reference of the Universal House of Justice and are its bedrock foundation.
- The Universal House of Justice (‘Introduction to the Kitab-i-Aqdas’, 1992)
