True Believer

Acknowledging that the matter of ascertaining the qualification of a true believer is a delicate and complex question, Shoghi Effendi, the appointee of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as Guardian of the Cause and authorized interpreter of its teachings, set down for Spiritual Assemblies the principal factors that must be taken into consideration before deciding whether a person may be regarded as a true believer or not: "Full recognition of the station of the Forerunner, the Author, and the True Exemplar of the Bahá’í Cause, as set forth in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's Testament; unreserved acceptance of, and submission to, whatsoever has been revealed by their Pen; loyal and steadfast adherence to every clause of our Beloved's sacred Will; and close association with the spirit as well as the form of the present day Bahá’í administration throughout the world.”

Universal House of Justice, Withdrawal from the Faith, 4 April 2001