Baha'i Administration / first International Baha'i Council / Guardian–President Charles Mason Remey / **Books** # **The Hands Declare the End of the Guardianship by Citing the Shi'i Islamic Term *bada'*** \[1] **in Their First Secret Conclave** \[2] ##### Excerpt from a letter dated June 1, 1960 included in *The Question of the Guardianship of the Baha'i Faith…*, unpublished, privately circulated.\[3] #### **Charles Mason Remey** ##### 1960 *** During the seven years (more or less) that I dwelt with and served our Beloved Guardian in his home in Haifa, he spoke to us, there assembled at his table, many times of the way that Almighty God had of sometimes putting aside and completely nullifying the plans of men and even the word and plans of the Manifestation of God Himself — putting all aside and changing even that which the Manifested Word of God had ordained! Shoghi Effendi spoke of this to us many times! The Persians call this state of affairs “BADA.” When the Almighty God puts aside and does away with even that which was ordained by the Manifestation Himself — this they call BADA. Such was the case of the inheritance of the Guardianship of the Faith. It was the written intent of the *Will and Testament of ’Abdu’l-Baha* that the Guardianship be kept within the line of descent from Baha’u’llah and this was understood by all the Baha′i world. But because of their violation of the *Will and Testament* by all of the members of his own family — all of them without exception — the Beloved Guardian was obliged to cut them all off from any possibility that any of them inherit the Guardianship from him. This the Beloved Guardian declared to the Baha′i world and all Baha′is should know this without question. As is well known the Beloved Guardian himself had no issue to carry on any such inheritance from him. Here God the Almighty stepped in and changed the entire possibility of the Beloved Guardian’s carrying out this order of inheritance that was written in the *Will and Testament*. In other words, this particular command had gone BADA and that was definitely all that there was to it — BADA. Then it was that the Beloved Guardian in his infallibility designated that I, Mason Remey, succeed him in the Guardianship of the Faith. This must be accepted without question by every firm and steadfast believer for what Baha′i would presume to question the infallibility of the Guardianship of the Faith? Only those who violate the command and the word of the Guardian would question this, and this is the state of the Hands of the Faith and those who follow them at this particular juncture in the affairs of the Baha′i world — those Baha′is who do not accept the Beloved Guardian’s appointment of me as their Guardian are violating the command of Shoghi Effendi and are definitely enemies of Shoghi Effendi and enemies of the Administration that he founded upon the precepts of the *Will and Testament*. *** **Endnotes** **1.** \[Editor's note: ***bada',*** or *al-bada'*, is an Arabic theological word found in Shi'i Islam literally meaning 'appearance' or 'emergence' and in context, "means change in a divine decree in response to new circumstances". (Wikipedia, [“Bada,”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bada)). Despite the prior belief that the word was Persian — and unique to the Persian Hands expressing their rejection of the guardianship — it can be found in the Qur'an and in Baha'u'llah's *Kitab-i-Iqan,* (The Book of Certitude) in reference to Noah losing followers after failed dates for the flood. >…what could have caused the **nonfulfillment of the divine promise** \[bada'] which led the seekers to reject that which they had accepted?" He goes on to say "Meditate profoundly, that the secret of things unseen may be revealed unto you, that you may inhale the sweetness of a spiritual and imperishable fragrance, and that you may acknowledge the truth that from time immemorial even unto eternity the Almighty hath tried, and will continue to try, His servants, so that light may be distinguished from darkness, truth from falsehood, right from wrong, guidance from error, happiness from misery, and roses from thorns. Even as He hath revealed: "Do men think when they say 'We believe' they shall be let alone and not be put to proof" > >(Baha'u'llah, [Kitab-i-Iqan,](https://bahai.works/Kit%C3%A1b-i-%C3%8Dq%C3%A1n/Par_1-50) \[The Book of Certitude], pt. 1, para. 8. Emphasis added.) > >\[Footnote from source: "Qur'an 71:26."] Note that the footnote "Qur'an 71:26" is where the discussion of Noah is found in the Qur'an. The quoted surah, "Do men think…" is Qur'an 29:2; >Do men think that >They will be left alone >On saying, 'We believe' >And that they will not >Be tested? > >(Qur’an 29:2, trans. Abdullah Yusuf Ali, _The Holy Qur’an: Text, Translation and Commentary_, 1989)] *A more thorough definition can be found in the Glossary entry for* [[bada']] *which includes the above commentary.* **2.** \[Editor's note: **conclave**, "a private meeting or secret assembly". (Merriam-Webster, ["conclave,"](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conclave.))] **3.** \[Editor's note: The full title of the book is *The Question of the Guardianship of the Baha'i Faith, Several Letters Received by the Hands of the Faith in the Holy Land Relative to the Continuation of the Guardianship of the Baha'i Faith, Now Circulated by Mason Remey, Hand of the Faith , President of the Baha'i International Council and Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, in the Year 117 of the Baha'i Era*. The collection of letters includes those written by Charles Mason Remey and others.] *** **See Also** - [[bada'|Glossary: "Bada'"]]. *** [Site Guide](site%20guide.md)  |   [Sitemap](sitemap.md)  |   [Downloads](downloads.md)  |  [Contact Us](contact%20us.md) **Dr. Leland Jensen**: Teachings and Commentaries Archive © 2026 Baha'i Council of Dane County, all rights reserved.  [Copyright & Usage Policy](copyright.md) ***