Hands of the Cause facts for kids
The "Hand of the Cause" was a special title given to important early members of the Baháʼí Faith. These people were chosen for life by the religion's founders. There were fifty people who received this title. The last one, ʻAlí-Muhammad Varqá, passed away in 2007. Hands of the Cause had a big job: they helped spread the Baháʼí Faith and protected it from disagreements.
When Shoghi Effendi, a leader of the Baháʼí Faith, passed away in 1957, no more Hands of the Cause were appointed. The Universal House of Justice, which is the main governing body of the Baháʼí Faith (first chosen in 1963), later created a new group called the Institution of the Counsellors in 1968. These Counsellors gradually took over the roles that the Hands of the Cause used to do. After 1968, the Hands of the Cause became worldwide helpers, and nine Counsellors at the International Teaching Centre took on the work of the nine Hands who were at the Baháʼí World Centre.
A list of the Hands of the Cause can be found in a book called The Baháʼí World: Vol XIV. The Universal House of Justice has mentioned that this list might not be complete, and more names could be found by studying old letters and records.
Contents
What Did the Hands of the Cause Do?
The Hands of the Cause had very important duties. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, another leader of the Baháʼí Faith, wrote in his will that the Hands of the Cause should "ever be watchful." This meant they needed to keep an eye out for anyone trying to go against the Guardian of the Cause of God. If they found someone doing this, they were to remove them from the Baháʼí community.
Shoghi Effendi also called the Hands of the Cause the "Chief Stewards" of the Baháʼí world. This means they were like main managers, helping to guide and protect the growing Baháʼí community around the world.
How Were Hands of the Cause Appointed?
Four Hands of the Cause were chosen by Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith. Four more were chosen by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. The most were chosen by Shoghi Effendi, who appointed forty-two people. Ten of these were appointed after they had already passed away.
Appointed by Baháʼu'lláh
- Adíb (1848–1919)
- Hají Ákhúnd (1842–1910)
- Ibn-i-Asdaq (d.1928)
- Ibn-i-Abhar (d.1917)
Appointed Posthumously by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá
These individuals were given the title after they had passed away.
- Muhammad-Ridá (Mullá Muhammad Ábádí Yazdí)
- Nabíl-i-Akbar (1829–1892)
- Ismu'lláhu'l-Asdaq (d. 1889) (Mullá Sádiq Khurasani)
- Varqá (d. 1896)
Appointed Posthumously by Shoghi Effendi
These individuals were also given the title after they had passed away.
- John Ebenezer Esslemont (1874–1925)
- Hájí Amín (1831–1928)
- Keith Ransom-Kehler (1876–1933)
- Martha Root (1872–1939)
- John Henry Hyde Dunn (1855–1941)
- Siyyid Mustafá Rúmí (d. 1942)
- 'Abdu'l-Jalil Bey Sa'd (d. 1942)
- Muhammed Taqiy-i-Isfáhani (d. 1946)
- Roy C. Wilhelm (1875–1951)
- Louis George Gregory (1874–1951)
Appointed Individually by Shoghi Effendi
These Hands of the Cause were appointed one by one in different years.
- Amatu'l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih K͟hánum (1910–2000) [1952]
- Jalál K͟háḍih (1897–1990) [1953]
- Paul Edmond Haney (1909–1982) [1954]
- ʻAlí-Muhammad Varqá (1911–2007) [1955]
- Agnes Baldwin Alexander (1875–1971) [1957]
First Group Appointed in 1951
This group of Hands of the Cause was appointed together on December 24, 1951.
- Dorothy Beecher Baker (1898–1954)
- Amelia Engelder Collins (1873–1962)
- ʻAlí-Akbar Furútan (1905–2003)
- Ugo Giachery (1896–1989)
- Hermann Grossmann (1899–1968)
- Horace Hotchkiss Holley (1887–1960)
- Leroy C. Ioas (1896–1965)
- William Sutherland Maxwell (1874–1952)
- Taráz'u'lláh Samandarí (1874–1968)
- Valíyu'lláh Varqá (1884–1955)
- George Townshend (1876–1957)
- Charles Mason Remey (1874–1974)
Second Group Appointed in 1952
This group was appointed on February 29, 1952.
- Siegfried Schopflocher (1877–1953)
- S͟hu'á'u'lláh ʻAláʼí (1889–1984)
- Músá Banání (1886–1971)
- Clara Dunn (1869–1960)
- D͟hikru'lláh K͟hádim (1904–1986)
- Adelbert Mühlschlegel (1897–1980)
- Corinne Knight True (1861–1961)
Last Group Appointed in 1957
This final group of Hands of the Cause was appointed on October 2, 1957.
- Hasan Muvaqqar Balyúzí (1908–1980)
- Abu'l-Qásim Faizi (1906–1980)
- John Graham Ferraby (1914–1973)
- Harold Collis Featherstone (1913–1990)
- Rahmatu'lláh Muhájir (1923–1979)
- Enoch Olinga (1926–1979)
- John Aldham Robarts (1901–1991)
- William Sears (1911–1992)
The Custodians of the Baháʼí Faith
After Shoghi Effendi passed away in 1957, the Hands of the Cause met. They chose nine of their members to stay in the Holy Land and act as "Custodians of the Baháʼí Faith." This group looked after the Baháʼí World Center properties and helped guide Baháʼí communities around the world. They also worked to protect the Baháʼí Faith. The other Hands of the Cause focused on spreading the religion during a special plan called the Ten Year Crusade.
The idea for a group of nine Hands of the Cause to work at the Baháʼí World Centre was mentioned in ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's will. This group was meant to help confirm the choice of any future Guardian.
Leading the Faith (1957–1963)
In 1957, Shoghi Effendi died unexpectedly. He had not chosen a successor (the next Guardian). So, the Hands of the Cause gathered and chose nine members to lead the religion. They would lead until the Universal House of Justice could be elected in 1963. The Universal House of Justice had the power to make decisions on things not clearly stated in the Baháʼí writings.
The Hands of the Cause announced that they would act as the "Chief Stewards" of the Baháʼí Faith. They chose the nine Custodians to manage the Baháʼí world until the Universal House of Justice was formed.
The first nine Custodians chosen were:
- Ruhiyyih Rabbani
- Charles Mason Remey
- Amelia E. Collins
- Leroy C. Ioas
- Hasan Balyuzi
- ʻAlí-Akbar Furútan
- Jalal Khazeh
- Paul E. Haney
- Adelbert Muhlschlegel
Over time, some Custodians changed. In 1959, Mason Remey and Hasan Balyuzi could no longer serve full-time. So, John Ferraby and Horace Holley took their places. Then, in 1960, after Horace Holley passed away, William Sears was chosen to be a Custodian.
The End of Their Role
The Custodians called for the election of the Universal House of Justice in 1963, at the end of the Ten Year Crusade. They made sure that none of the Hands of the Cause could be elected to this new governing body.
Once the Universal House of Justice was elected, the Custodians ended their role. They announced that all their duties and powers were now passed on to the newly elected Universal House of Justice. This meant the office of the Custodians of the Baháʼí World Faith no longer existed.
See Also
- Apostles of Baháʼu'lláh
- Disciples of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá
- Institution of the Counsellors
- Letters of the Living
