Editing Shoghi Effendi (section)

===Election of the Universal House of Justice===
At the end of the [[Ten Year Crusade]] in 1963, the Universal House of Justice was first elected. It was authorized to adjudicate on situations not covered in scripture. As its first order of business, the Universal House of Justice evaluated the situation caused by the fact that the Guardian had not appointed a successor. It determined that under the circumstances, given the criteria for succession described in the ''[[Will and Testament of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá]]'', there was no legitimate way for another Guardian to be appointed.{{sfn|Smith|2000|pp=169–170}}{{sfn|Universal House of Justice|1996|p=14}} Therefore, although the ''Will and Testament of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá'' leaves provisions for a succession of Guardians, Shoghi Effendi remains the first and last occupant of this office. [[Bahá'u'lláh]] envisioned a scenario in the [[Kitáb-i-Aqdas]] in which the line of Guardians would be broken prior to the establishment of the Universal House of Justice, and in the interim the [[Hands of the Cause|Hands of the Cause of God]] would administer the affairs of the Baha'i community.{{sfn|Saiedi|2000|pp=276–277}}