P515




3.  HANDS OF THE CAUSE WHO
REPRESENTED THE UNIVERSAL
HOUSE OF JUSTICE AT CONVENTIONS
FOR THE ELECTION OF NEW NATIONAL
SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES


Listed below are the Hands of the Cause who represented the Universal House of Justice at inaugural Conventions held in the period 1979-1983, the name of the new National Spiritual Assembly, its seat, the parent or sponsoring National Assembly and, in chronological order, the dates of the Conventions..

Ridván 1981

Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum  Bermuda—Hamilton
                                                  (United States)
                                                  24-26 April
                                                  Leeward Islands—St. Johns, Antigua
                                                  (Leeward and Virgin Islands)
                                                  1-2 May
Dr. `Alí-Muhammad Varqá        Windward Islands—Kingstown, St. Vincent
                                                  (Barbados and the Windward Islands)
                                                  24-26 April
Collis Featherstone                     Tuvalu—Funafati
                                                   (Kiribati and Tuvalu)
                                                   25-27 April
John Robarts                               Bophuthatswana—Mmabatho
                                                   (South and West Africa)
                                                   1-3 May
William Sears                              Southwest Africa/Namibia—Windhoek
                                                   (South and West Africa)
                                                    2-3 May

1983

Dhikru'lláh Khádem                    St. Lucia—Castries
                                                  (Windward Islands)
                                                  26-28 May
                                                  Dominica—Roseau
                                                  (Windward Islands)
                                                  29-30 May



P516




4.  A TRIBUTE TO THE HANDS OF THE
CAUSE OF GOD¹

LILIAN `ALÁ’Í



Light and glory, greeting and praise be upon the Hands of His Cause, through whom the light of fortitude hath shone forth and the truth hath been established that the authority to choose rests with God, the Powerful, the Mighty, the Unconstrained . . . We beseech Him-- exalted is He--to shield them through the power of His hosts, to protect them through the potency of His dominion and to aid them through His indomitable strength which prevaileth over all created things . . .


WITH these words Bahá`u'lláh in His Tablet of the World (Lawh-i-Dunyá) describes the station of servitude to which the Hands of the Cause of God are called. He beseeches God to shield them, to protect them and to aid them. They are His precious trust among us and their like will never be seen again. Perhaps the greatest tribute one can pay is to speak of their place in Bahá`í history. We are so intimately associated with them and stand so near to them, that only future historians will be able to do full justice to their exploits.
    The origin of the Hands of the Cause can be found in the Writings of Bahá`u'lláh. During His lifetime He appointed four to serve Him.
    Many references to the Hands of the Cause can be found in the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá. He clearly defined their station and functions but did not appoint any living Hands of the Cause. However, there were certain outstanding teachers of the Faith who, after their passing, were referred to by `Abdu'l-Bahá as Hands.
    For thirty years Shoghi Effendi continued to do as his Grandfather had done, and it was not until December 1951 that he cabled the following announcement to the Bahá`í world:

HOUR NOW RIPE TAKE LONG INEVITABLY DEFERRED STEP CONFORMITY PROVISIONS ABDUL-BAHAS TESTAMENT . . . APPOINTMENT FIRST CONTINGENT HANDS CAUSE OF GOD TWELVE IN NUMBER EQUALLY ALLOCATED HOLY LAND ASIATIC AMERICAN EUROPEAN CONTINENTS.

    He then went on to say that this step was in preparation for the full development of the institution provided in `Abdu'l-Bahá’s Will and Testament. Furthermore, he said that there would be a parallel measure—the formation of the Universal House of Justice.
    The Guardian then named the twelve Hands of the Cause. In the Holy Land, Sutherland Maxwell, Mason Remey, Amelia Collins (President and Vice-President of the International Bahá`í Council); in the Cradle of the Faith, Valíyu’llláh Varqá, Tarázu'lláh Samandarí, `Alí-Akbar Furútan; in the American continent, Horace Holley, Dorothy Baker, Leroy Ioas; and in the European continent, George Townshend, Hermann Grossmann and Ugo Giachery.
    During the remaining six years of his life he developed the Institution of the Hands of the Cause, broadening and strengthening the scope of its activities, appointing additional Hands and providing for the appointment by the Hands of Auxiliary Board members who were to assist them in their work.
    In February 1952 the Guardian raised their number to nineteen by adding another seven distinguished Bahá`ís, namely, Fred Schopflocher, Corinne True, Dhikru'lláh Khádem, Shu`á’u’lláh `Alá`í, Adelbert Mühlschlegel, Músá Banání, and Clara Dunn. The body of the Hands of the Cause now

¹An address given by Lilian `Alá`í during the International Bahá`í Conference held in Canberra, Australia, 1-4 September 1982.

P517

represented all five continents of the globe and the `three principal world religions of mankind’. He said that they had a two-fold sacred function, propagation and preservation of the unity of the Faith of Bahá`u'lláh.
    For five years after 1952 there was no increase in the number of Hands. However, during that time five of them passed away—namely, Sutherland Maxwell, Fred Schopflocher, Dorothy Baker, Valíyu’llláh Varqá and George Townshend. Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, Jalál Kházeh, Paul E. Haney, `Alí-Muhammad Varqá and Agnes Alexander were appointed to replace them.
    In his last message to the Bahá`í world the beloved Guardian raised the membership of the Hands of the Cause to twenty-seven. Many of us will recall the exciting years of the World Crusade. He described the astonishing achievements of those days as `So marvelous a progress, embracing so vast a field, achieved in so short a time, by so small a band of heroic souls . . . ’
    He then said that this progress ` . . . well deserves . . . to be signalized by, and indeed necessitates, the announcement of yet another step in the progressive unfoldment of one of the cardinal and pivotal institutions ordained by Bahá`u'lláh . . . involving the designation of yet another contingent of the Hands of the Cause of God . . . The eight now elevated to this exalted rank are:  Enoch Olinga, William Sears . . . John Robarts . . . Hasan Balyúzí . . . John Ferraby . . . Collis Featherstone . . . Rahmatu'lláh Muhájir . . . and Abu’l-Qásim Faizí . . . a group chosen from the four continents of the globe, and representing the Afnán, as well as the black and white races and whose members are derived from Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Pagan backgrounds.
    Many of the Hands of the Cause were also pioneers of the World Crusade and yet others became homefront pioneers.
    During Ridván 1954 Shoghi Effendi implemented his promised inauguration of the auxiliaries of the Institution of the Hands, namely, the Board members, who were to act as deputies, assistants and advisers to the Hands and work in conjunction with the National Spiritual Assemblies, through calling upon the Hands to appoint thirty-six Board members, nine each in America, Europe, and Africa, seven in Asia, and two in Australia. Five Continental Funds were also inaugurated at that time.
    The first International Bahá`í Council had already been appointed by Shoghi Effendi, in 1951; its membership included five Hands, Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, Mason Remey, Amelia Collins, Ugo Giachery and Leroy Ioas. Four lived in the Holy Land and the fifth, Dr. Giachery, who was pioneering in Italy, was designated as member-at-large.
    In June 1957 the Guardian called upon the Hands of the Cause and the National Assemblies to engage in close association and consultation not only in connection with the teaching work, but especially in regard to the protection of the Faith. In his last message to the Bahá`í world he further expanded the Institution of the Hands of the Cause by requesting each group of continental Hands to appoint an Auxiliary Board with the specific duty of watching over the security of the Faith. And so we can see how, step by step, in less than six years, he built a strong Institution functioning throughout the world whose nerve centre was in the Holy Land. In addition, the parallel body, the International Bahá`í Council, had also been established.
    Very suddenly, a few short weeks later, Shoghi Effendi, the Sign of God on earth and our beloved Guardian, ascended to the world beyond, leaving behind a grief-stricken community, bewildered and bereft. Upon the Hands of the Cause now fell the onerous task of directing and safeguarding the affairs of the Faith of God.
    It is well for us to think deeply about the events that followed the sudden removal from our midst of our beloved Guardian, the one who had for so long and so lovingly guided our steps. Let us not forget that when the Blessed Beauty’s ascension took place He left a Will appointing `Abdu'l-Bahá and when `Abdu'l-Bahá passed to the great beyond, He too left a Will appointing Shoghi Effendi. I do not feel that any Bahá`í can pay greater tribute to the Hands of the Cause than acknowledging and being eternally grateful to them for the steps they now took.
    `It was upon Rúhíyyih Khánum in . . . her hour of greatest trial and grief that the terrible weight of responsibility rested of informing the Bahá`ís of the world that their Guardian had suddenly passed away. It devolved upon

P518

her to initiate the steps necessary to protect the Faith at this moment of unparalleled crisis.’  She lovingly did so in a series of cables to the Bahá`í world preparing them for the news of his passing. She `telephoned the members of the International Bahá`í Council in Haifa . . . It was agreed that immediate steps be taken to seal the door of the apartment occupied by the Guardian in order to ensure that no person should enter these quarters until the Hands of the Cause could take appropriate action . . . By November 8, nearly all Hands of the Cause had arrived in London. At the request of Rúhíyyih Khánum, they met that night to plan the funeral service . . . This tragic and moving occasion marked the first meeting . . . of the Hands from the Holy Land and the various continents since their appointment by Shoghi Effendi.’ .     `On November 15, 1957 . . . Rúhíyyih Khánum, Mason Remey, Amelia Collins and Leroy Ioas, accompanied by Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery . . . entered the apartment of the Guardian and sealed with tape and wax the safe where important documents were kept. The keys of the safe were placed in an envelope which was sealed and signed by the five Hands and then placed in the safe of Mr. Ioas, the Secretary-General of the International Bahá`í Council. The drawers of Shoghi Effendi’s desk were also sealed and the seals countersigned.
    `Three days later, on November 18, 1957, just two weeks after the ascension of the Guardian, the Hands of the Cause assembled in the Holy Land, held a memorial meeting in the precincts of the Shrine of Bahá`u'lláh, and then entered upon . . . fateful days of prayerful and soul-searching consultation which led to . . . vital and far-reaching decisions . . . ’
    The historic document, Proclamation by the Hands of the Cause to the Bahá`ís of East and West, written from the meeting, contained these words:

`On the following morning, November 19th, nine Hands of the Cause, selected from the Holy Land, and the several continents of East and West, with Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, broke the seals placed upon the beloved Guardian’s safe and desk and made careful examination of their precious contents. These same Hands, rejoining the other Hands assembled in the Mansion of Bahá`u'lláh at Bahjí, certified that Shoghi Effendi had left no Will and Testament. It was likewise certified that the beloved Guardian had left no heir. The Aghsán (branches) one and all are either dead or have been declared violators of the Covenant by the Guardian for their faithlessness to the Master’s Will and Testament and their hostility to him [who was] named first Guardian in that sacred document.

    `The first effect of the realization that no successor to Shoghi Effendi could have been appointed by him was to plunge the Hands of the Cause into the very abyss of despair . . . From this dark abyss, however, contemplation of the Guardian’s own life of complete sacrifice and his peerless services gradually redeemed our anguished hearts . . . ’
    The Hands then wrote of the achievements of the beloved Guardian in words designed to encourage and strengthen the friends.
    `Has not the World Centre, with its sacred Shrines and institutions, been firmly established? Has not the Message been established in 254 countries and dependencies? Have not the National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies . . . been implanted in twenty-six great areas of all continents? Has not the Guardian left us not only his incomparable translations, for English-reading Bahá`ís, of the Bahá`í sacred literature but also his own master works of interpretation which disclose to us the unshatterable edifice of an evolving Bahá`í Order and world community? Has not the Guardian, building upon the enduring foundation of the Master’s Tablets of the Divine Plan, created the World Crusade to guide our work until 1963? Has not the Guardian, moreover, in his mysterious insight into the present and future needs of the Bahá`í community, called into being the International Bahá`í Council and the company of twenty-seven Hands with their Auxiliary Boards, whom in his final communication to the Bahá`ís, he designated “Chief Stewards of the embryonic World Commonwealth of Bahá`u'lláh“?
. . .
    `Beloved friends! Is not the most precious legacy bequeathed to us all by Shoghi Effendi the privilege of constancy in the Faith of

P519

Bahá`u'lláh and devotion in teaching His Message? This is the heartfelt plea we direct to every Bahá`í:  The hour has come, as it did with the passing of `Abdu'l-Bahá, when true Bahá`ís will be distinguished by their firmness in the Covenant and their spiritual radiance while pressing forward the mighty work committed to every area of the world community—to every individual Bahá`í! For now our implacable opponents may, and probably will, unleash their attacks, assuming in their ignorance that the Faith of Bahá`u'lláh is weakened and defenceless. By consecration of spirit we are armed against all manner of assault and we hold the weapon of faith with which the triumph of the Guardian’s aims and purposes is assured . . . ’
    Such were their words as they took us under their protection.
    In other documents the Hands of the Cause made decisions on how their body would function and their relationship with National Assemblies. In response to their appeal, all National and Regional Assemblies in the Bahá`í world recognized the body of the nine Hands in the Holy Land gave their full support. Because of this and actions taken by the Hands, it was possible to safeguard the Bahá`í properties and funds and to be recognized by the Government.
    From that time onwards until the establishment of the Universal House of Justice in 1963 the Hands of the Cause sent a series of messages to the Bahá`í world from each of its annual conclaves. They actively and unceasingly encouraged the friends to attain the goals set by the Guardian and watched over the community with loving hearts. In 1959 they wrote:

`As we look back over the past two years which have elapsed since that unforgettable and heart-breaking moment when we realized our beloved Guardian had been taken from us, we cannot but marvel at the protection which has been vouchsafed this Holy Cause. As one man, the believers have rallied to the support of their Faith, closed their ranks, stood firm in the hour of supreme test, and arisen to carry forward the World Crusade.’

    In the same message they announced that the election of the International Bahá`í Council by all members of National and Regional Assemblies would take place during Ridván 1961.
    In their 1960 message they mentioned that since 1953 almost 3,000 pioneers had left their homes and scattered over the face of the planet. There was evidence of the possibility of mass conversion. Tens of thousands of people in Africa, India and South America were becoming Bahá`ís and it became necessary for the Hands of the Cause to devote their labour on a global scale. Thus they began their journeys throughout the countries of the world bringing hope and encouragement to the friends and edifying the hearts of all men. They attended a multitude of conferences, summer schools, conventions. They met with all strata of society from the highest to the lowest in the land. They met with pioneers, often making special and difficult journeys to be with a lone pioneer, to cheer their hearts and encourage them and the fledgling communities that were being created around them. And through it all, they lovingly watched over and protected the Faith.
    As far back as 1961 they prepared the Bahá`í world for the election of the Universal House of Justice during Ridván 1963. This long-awaited and eagerly anticipated event took place on the first day of Ridván 1963 in the central hall of the historic home of `Abdu'l-Bahá and the Guardian in Haifa. Two hundred and eighty-eight members of fifty-six National and Regional Assemblies were present as delegates, representing every continent and the islands of the seas, and from virtually every one of the major races and ethnic groups of mankind. The Universal House of Justice, the supreme legislative body ordained by Bahá`u'lláh and vouchsafed by Him as being under the unerring guidance of God, had been established. The master helmsmen had sailed the seas chartered by the beloved Guardian and brought their vessel to safe harbour.
    In 1968, the Universal House of Justice met in consultation with the Hands of the Cause and from this meeting came the Institution of the Continental Boards of Counsellors which was to `grow and operate in harmony with the principles governing the functioning of the Institution of the Hands of the Cause’. The Auxiliary Boards then came under the direc-

P520

tion of the Continental Boards of Counsellors. The International Teaching Centre was established in 1973 `destined to evolve into one of those world-shaking, world-embracing, world-directing administrative institutions ordained by Bahá`u'lláh. Its establishment brings to fruition the work of the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land.’
    Many years have passed, and from the original twenty-seven Hands only eleven remain. Many of them have visited the countries and islands encompassed by this conference and have become very dear to us. Some, such as Agnes Alexander, John Henry and Clara Hyde Dunn, Rahmatu'lláh Muhájir and dear Collis Featherstone, have lived and continue to live among us. Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum dedicated the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of the Antipodes and represented the Universal House of Justice at the laying of the foundation stone of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of the Pacific in Samoa. Our very dear Dr. Giachery, besides his memorable work in connection with the Shrine of the Báb, was instrumental in presenting the Proclamation of Bahá`u'lláh in such a way to His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II of Western Samoa, that he was moved to declare his belief in Bahá`u'lláh and to visit the resting-place of the beloved Guardian. All of them, including the Hands of the Cause Enoch Olinga, `Alí-Akbar Furútan, Dhikru'lláh Khádem, William Sears, John Robarts and Abu’l-Qásim Faizí, made great teaching journeys through our lands and islands. They took our burdens upon their shoulders. Nowhere in recorded religious history has there been such a group of people as the Hands of the Cause of God, who, with such purity of soul, selflessness, complete dedication and faithfulness, guided and watched over an emerging religion.
    To them, in remembrance of their fortitude, I address the beautiful poem contained in the following Tablet of `Abdu'l-Bahá:

O thou who hast been sore afflicted on the
pathway of the Covenant! Anguish and
torment, when suffered on the pathway of
the Lord, Him of Manifest signs, is only
favour and grace; affliction is but mercy,
and grief a gift from God. Poison is sugar
on the tongue, and wrath is kindness,
nourishing the soul.
    Then praise thou Him, the loving Pro-
vider, for having ordained this dire afflic-
tion, which is but bounty unalloyed.

If I, like Abraham, through flames must
    go,
Or yet like John a bloodstained road
    must run;
If Joseph-like, Thou’d cast me in a well,
Or shut me up within a prison cell--
Or make me e’en as poor as Mary’s
    Son--
I will not go from Thee.
But ever stand
My soul and body bowed to Thy command.

    Dear friends, when we become tired and dispirited, when our goals seem unobtainable, let us think of them. Let us try, in some small way to be like them. They are our Hands of the Cause and the world has never seen their like.

Light and glory, greeting and praise be upon
them!

REFERENCES:

The Bahá`í World, vol. XIII, pp. 333-363
The Bahá`í World, vol. XVI, pp. 406-414.
Poem from Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá.

Back to Bahá'í World vol. 18 Table of Contents Back to NSA documents Back to Published Books Baha'i Academics Resource Library ][ Sacred Writings ][ Search Primary sources ][ Secondary sources ][ Resources and etc. Bulletin board ][ Links ][ Personal pages ][ Other sites hosted by the Library