Bahá’í World/Volume 17/The Hands of the Cause of God

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THE WORLD ORDER OF BAHA’U’LLAH

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II THE HANDS OF THE CAUSE OF GOD

1. THE HANDS OF THE CAUSE OF GOD AND THE EXTENSION OF THEIR FUNCTIONS INTO THE FUTURE

A. THE RULERS AND THE LEARNED

IN every society and community of human beings there are those who are revered for their learning and wisdom, and there are those who are invested with authority to govern. In religious communities it has been usual for the legislative and governing authority to be held by the learned who have thus, as priests or as doctors of religious law, combined both capacities in the same persons. Other communities have, only too often, been riven by the conflict between church and state, between priests and kings, or, in more modern terms, between intellectuals and the establishment. In the World Order of Baha’u’llah these two extremes, of the over-concentration of authority on the one hand and of division and conflict on the other, are eliminated. The way this is achieved is one of the unique features of that Order and confers unimagined benefits upon the Bahá’í community.

In the Kitdb-i-‘Ahd (The Book of the Covenant) Bahá’u’lláh wrote, Blessed are the rulers and the learned in Bahci. The Guardian, interpreting this passage, stated on 4 November 1931:

In this holy cycle the ‘learned’ are, on the one hand the Hands of the Cause of God, and, on the other, the teachers and diffusers of His teachings who do not rank as Hands, but who have attained an eminent position in the teaching work. As to the ‘rulers‘ they refer to the members of the Local, National and International Houses of Justice. The duties of each of these souls will be determined in the future. (Translated from the Persian.)

Since those words were written the Bahá’í Administrative Order has developed rapidly and is now functioning throughout the world. Under the supreme authority of the revealed Law of God the Bahá’í community is governed by its elected institutions: Local and National

Spiritual Assemblies and the Universal House of Justice, while the institutions of the ‘learned’, which exercise no governing authority over the believers, are accorded an exalted rank which enables them to exert their beneficent influence over all parts of the community. Commenting on this feature of the Bahá’í Administrative Order, the Universal House of

Justice wrote in its message of 24 April 1972:

The existence of institutions of such exalted rank, comprising individuals who play such a vital role, who yet have no legislative, administrative orjudicial authority, and are entirely devoid of priestly functions or the right to make authoritative interpretations, is a feature of Bahá’í administration unparalleled in the religions of the past . A .

Developing this theme, the Universal House of Justice referred in that same message to a letter written on behalf of the Guardian on 14 March 1927, to the Spiritual Assembly of Istanbul, in which he expounded the Bahá’í principle of action by majority vote. In this letter Shoghi Effendi points out how, in the past, it was certain individuals who ‘accounted themselves as superior in knowledge and elevated in position’ who caused division, and that it was those ‘who pretended to be the most distinguished of all’ who ‘always proved themselves to be the source of contention’. He praises God that Bahá’u’lláh had withdrawn authority from ‘the unyielding and dictatorial Views of the learned and the wise’, rejected the assertions of individuals, even though recognized as the most accomplished and learned among men, as authoritative criteria, and ‘ordained that all matters be referred to authorized centres and assemblies’. Thus the institutions of the learned in the Bahá’í Faith, while invested with high rank and exercising invaluable moral authority and influence, have no executive

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power other than in the direction of their own institutions.

The difficulty of establishing a clear understanding of this administrative concept, new in the history of religion, is reflected in the concluding passage of the message of the Universal House of Justice, of 24 April 1972, quoted above:

The newness and uniqueness of this concept

make it difficult to grasp; only as the Baha 1 community grows and the believers are increasingly able to

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contemplate its administrative structure uninfiuenced by concepts from past ages, will the Vital interdependence of the ‘rulers’ and ‘learned’ in the Faith be properly understood, and the inestimable value of their interaction be fully recognised.

Only now, as these two arms of the worldembracing system of Bahá’u’lláh begin to function in their separate but complementary roles towards a common achievement, are intimations caught of the divine beneficence of that system.

B. THE HANDS OF THE CAUSE OF GOD

Bahá’u’lláh Himself created the institution of the Hands of the Cause and appointed a few of His followers to serve Him as Hands in His own lifetime. In the Tablet Of the World He refers to the Hands of the Cause in words descriptive of the station of service to which they are called:

Light and glory, greeting and praise be upon the Hands of His Cause through whom the light affortitude hath shone forth and the truth hath been established that the authority to choose rests with God, the Powerfitl, the Mighty, the Unconstrained, through whom the ocean of bounty hath surged and the fragrance Of the gracious favours of God, the Lord of mankind, hath been diffused. We beseech Him —Exalted is He —to shield them through thepower of His hosts, to protect them through the potency 0 f His dominion and to aid them through His indomitable strength which prevaileth over all created things. Sovereignty is God’s, the Creator of the heavens and the Lord Ofthe Kingdom ofNames,

The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá contains many references to the Hands of the Cause, including explicit definitions of their station and functions, as well as various admonitions addressed to them:

Salutation and praise, blessing andglory rest. . . upon the Hands of the Cause of God that have diffused widely the Divine Fragrances, declared His Proofs, proclaimed His Faith, published abroad His Law, detached themselves from all things but Him, stood for righteousness in this world, and kindled the Fire of the Love of God in the very hearts and souls of His servants; . . . the Hands Ofthe Cause of God must be ever watchful and so soon as they find anyone beginning to oppose and protest against the Guardian 0 f the Cause of God cast him out from the congregation of the people 0 f Baha and in no wise accept any excuse from him . . .

. . . The Hands Ofthe Cause of God must elect from their own number nine persons that shall at all times be occupied in the important services in the work of the Guardian of the Cause of God. The election of these nine must be carried either unanimously or by majorin from the company Ofthe Hands Ofthe Cause of God and these, whether unanimously or by a majority vote, must give their assent to the choice of the one whom the Guardian Ofthe Cause of God hath chosen as his successor. . .

O friends! The Hands Ofthe Cause ofGoa' must be nominated and appointed by the Guardian of the Cause of God. All must be under his shadow and obey his command. . . .

The obligations Ofthe Hands Ofthe Cause of God are to diffitse the Divine Fragrances, t0 edifi) the souls of men, to promote learning, to improve the character ofall men and to be, at all times and under all conditions, sanctified and detached from earthly things. They must manifest the fear of God by their conduct, their manners, their deeds and their words. This body Ofthe Hands Ofthe Cause of God is under the direction Ofthe Guardian Ofthe Cause of God. He must continually urge them to strive and endeavour to the utmost oftheir ability to diffuse the sweet savours of God, and to guide all the peoples Ofthe world, for it is the light of Divine Guidance that causeth all the universe to be illumined. T0 disregard, though it be far a moment, this absolute command which is binding upon everyone, is in no wise permitted, that the surface of the earth may become heavenly, that contention and conflict amidst peoples, kindreds, nations and governments may disappear, that all the dwellers on earth may become one people and one race, that the world may become even as one home.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá did not Himself appoint any additional Hands of the Cause. He did, however, refer to certain outstanding teachers of the Faith as Hands.

During the first three decades of his ministry as Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi

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designated certain outstanding Baha1s as Hands posthumously. Then, in December 1951, he raised twelve living believers to this exalted rank, 21 development of the Administrative Order which thrilled the entire Bahá’í world. In February 1952 he appointed a further seven, and in 1957 eight more, bringing the total number to twenty-seven.l In these brief six years the Guardian not only established this institution on a firm foundation throughout the world, with a body of four Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land to act as the liaison between himself and the Hands in each continent, but he brought into being in each continent two Auxiliary Boards, one for the protection and one for the propaga 319

tion of the Faith, to act as the ‘assistants, deputies and advisers’ of the Hands of that continent.

The epic story of how in November 1957, the Hands of the Cause of God, called by the Guardian the ‘Chief Stewards of Bahá’u’lláh’s embryonic World Commonwealth’, rallied the grief—stricken and stunned Bahá’ís of the world, guided them to the victorious accomplishment of the Ten Year Crusade which he had launched, and convened the members of the National Spiritual Assemblies for the first election of the Universal House of Justice in April 1963, has been told in befitting detail in Volume XIII of this publication.

C. THE CONTINENTAL BOARDS OF COUNSELLORS

The establishment of the Universal House of Justice in 1963 ushered in a new phase in the evolution of the institution of the Hands of the Cause. In October 1963 the House of Justice decided ‘that there is no way to appoint or legislate to make it possible to appoint a second Guardian to succeed Shoghi Effendi’. Therefore, among the first questions which it was necessary for it then to consider were the manner in which the institution of the Hands of the Cause was to continue to perform its appointed functions, the relationship which should exist between the House of Justice and the Hands of the Cause, and how the indispensable functions of the Hands of the Cause could be extended into the future, since, according to the text of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Hands Ofthe Cause of God must be nominated and appointed by the Guardian of the Cause of God.

Following consultation with a conclave of the Hands in October—November 1964, the Universal House of Justice announced to the believers in its message of November 1964 the following decisions:

There is no way to appoint, or to legislate to make it possible to appoint, Hands of the Cause of God.

Responsibility for decisions on matters of general policy affecting the institution of the Hands of the Cause, which was formerly exercised by the beloved Guardian, now devolves upon the Universal House

‘ See ‘The Institution of the Hands of the Cause of God‘, The Bahá’! World, vol. XIII. p. 3344

of Justice as the supreme and central institution of the Faith to which all must turn.

That same message announced increases in the number of the members of the Auxiliary Boards for propagation in every continent, and the Hands were requested to appoint one or more members of each Auxiliary Board to act in an executive capacity on their behalf and in the name of each Hand, for the direction of the work of the Boards. The message continued:

The exalted rank and specific functions of the Hands of the Cause of God make it inappropriate for them to be elected or appointed to administrative institutions, or to be elected as delegates to national conventions. Furthermore, it is their desire and the desire of the House of Justice that they be free to devote their entire energies to the vitally important duties conferred upon them in the Holy Writings.

At the same time the House of Justice confirmed the request of the Hands of the Cause that, henceforth, members of the Auxiliary Boards should be freed from administrative responsibilities, including service on committees and as delegates to conventions.

On 21 June 1968 the House of Justice announced by cable to the Bahá’í world the decision to establish eleven Continental Boards of Counsellors for the protection and propagation of the Faith and, in a written message issued on 24 June, outlined in detail the nature and scope of this action. Because of its great significance to the evolution of the Administrative Order, the entire text of this message is quoted:

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The Continental Board of Counsellors for Australasia; January 1977. Left to right: Mr. Owen Battrick, Dr. Peter Khan, Miss Thelma Perks, Mr. Suhayl ‘Ala’l’, Miss Violet Hoehnke, Mr. Howard Harwood.

The Continental Board of Counsellors for Central America; March I 977. Seated, left to right: Mr. Artemus Lamb, Mrs. Carmen de Burafato, Dr. Hiddyatu’lláh Ahmadz’yyih. Standing, lefi to right: Mr. Rowland Estall, Mr. Alfred Osborne, Mr. Paul Lucas.

The Continental Board 0 f Counsellors for North America; October I 976. Left to right: Mr. Lloyd Gardner, Dr. Sarah M. Pereira, Mrs. Velma Sherrill, Miss Edna True, Mr.

Angus Cawan.

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The majestic unfoldment of Bahá’u’lláh’s worldredeeming administrative system has been marked by the successive establishment of the various institutions and agencies which constitute the framework of that divinely-created Order. Thus, more than a quarter-of—a-century after the emergence of the first National Spiritual Assemblies of the Bahá’í world the institution of the Hands of the Cause of God was formally established, with the appointment by the beloved Guardian, in conformity with the provisions of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Will and Testament, of the first contingent ofthese high-ranking officers of the Faith. Following the passing of the Guardian of the Cause of God, it fell to the House of Justice to devise a way, within the Administrative Order, of developing ‘the institution of the Hands of the Cause with a view to extension into the future of its appointed functions of protection and propagation’, and this was made a goal of the Nine Year Plan. Much thought and study has been given to the question over the past four years, and the texts have been collected and reviewed. During the last two months, this goal, as announced in our cable to the National Conventions, has been the object of prolonged and prayerful consultation between the Universal House of Justice and the Hands of the Cause of God. All this made evident the framework within which this goal was to be achieved, namely:

The Universal House of Justice sees no way in which additional Hands of the Cause of God can be appointed.

The absence of the Guardian of the Faith brought about an entirely new relationship between the Universal House of Justice and the Hands of the Cause and called for the progressive unfoldment by the Universal House of Justice of the manner in which the Hands of the Cause would carry out their divinely~conferred functions of protection and propagation.

Whatever new development or institution is initiated should come into operation as soon as possible in order to reinforce and supplement the work of the Hands of the Cause while at the same time taking full advantage of the opportunity of having the Hands themselves assist in launching and guiding the new procedures.

Any such institution must grow and operate in harmony with the principles governing the functioning of the institution of the Hands of the Cause of God.

In the light of these considerations the Universal House of J ustice decided, as announced in its recent cable, to establish Continental Boards of Counsellors for the protection and propagation of the Faith. Their duties will include directing the Auxiliary Boards in their respective areas, consulting and col 321

laborating with National Spiritual Assemblies, and keeping the Hands of the Cause and the Universal House of Justice informed concerning the conditions of the Cause in their areas.

Initially eleven Boards of Counsellors have been appointed, one for each of the following areas: Northwestern Africa, Central and East Africa, Southern Africa, North America, Central America, South America, Western Asia, Southeastern Asia, Northeastern Asia, Australasia and Europe.

The members of these Boards of Counsellors will serve for a term, or terms, the length of which will be determined and announced at a later date, and while serving in this capacity, will not be eligible for membership on national or local administrative bodies. One member of each Continental Board of Counsellors has been designated as Trustee of the Continental Fund for its area.

The Auxiliary Boards for protection and propagation will henceforth report to the Continental Boards of Counsellors who will appoint or replace members of the Auxiliary Boards as circumstances may require. Such appointments and replacements as may be necessary in the initial stages will take place after consultation with the Hand or Hands previously assigned to the continent or zone.

The Hands of the Cause of God have the prerogative and obligation to consult with the Continental Boards of Counsellors and National Spiritual Assemblies on any subject which, in their view, affects the interests of the Cause. The Hands residing in the Holy Land will act as liaison between the Universal House of Justice and the Continental Boards of Counsellors, and will also assist the Universal House of Justice in setting up, at a propitious time, an international teaching centre in the Holy Land, as anticipated in the Guardian’s writings.

The Hands of the Cause of God are one of the most precious assets the Bahá’í world possesses. Released from administration of the Auxiliary Boards, they will be able to concentrate their energies on the more primary responsibilities of general protection and propagation, ‘preservation of the spiritual health of the Bahá’í communities’ and ‘the vitality of the faith’ of the Bahá’ís throughout the world. The House of Justice will call upon them to undertake special missions on its behalf, to represent it on both Bahá’í and other occasions and to keep it informed of the welfare of the Cause. While the Hands of the Cause will, naturally, have special concern for the affairs of the Cause in the areas in which they reside, they will operate increasingly on an intercontinental level, a factor which will lend tremendous impetus to the diffusion throughout the Bahá’í world of the spiritual inspiration channelled through them—the Chief Stewards of Bahá’u’lláh’s embryonic World Commonwealth.

With joyful hearts we proclaim this further

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unfoldment of the Administrative Order of Baha‘u’Him and join our prayers to those of the friends throughout the East and the West that Bahá’u’lláh may continue to shower his confirmations upon the efforts of His servants in the safeguarding and promotion of His Faith,

A clarification of the status of Counsellors and their relationship to National Spiritual Assemblies was made by the House of Justice in a letter to a National Spiritual Assembly in May 1975:

. . . (it) must be one of warm and active collaboration, a full sharing in the excitement and the challenge of the teaching work and the establishment of living and growing Bahá’í communities. . .While the role of the Counsellors is normally to advise, encourage and reinforce, and they have no legislative or administrative authority, they nevertheless occupy a rank superior to that of the National Assembly or its members and each individual Counsellor is a high officer of the Faith entitled to the respect, honour and courtesy due to his rank. Each country which is privileged to have a resident Counsellor should prize that privilege. Each National Assembly which has a Counsellor at hand for frequent consultations should, without relinquishing any portion of its divinely assigned authority, call upon him often for his views and accord great weight to his advice.

On 8 June 1973 a further directive was sent to the Continental Boards of Counsellors which answered the need discussed by the Counsellors during their sessions in the Holy Land, at the time of the International Convention of that year, for some method to enable their institution to reach more deeply into the fabric of the Bahá’í world community. The House of Justice authorized each Board of Counsellors, at its discretion, to permit Auxil THE BAHA’I’ WORLD

iary Board members to appoint assistants, whose duties would be to activate and encourage Local Spiritual Assemblies, to call the attention of Local Spiritual Assembly members t0 the importance of regular meetings, to encourage local communities to gather for Nineteen Day Feasts and Holy Days, to help deepen their fellow—believers’ understanding of the teachings, and generally to assist the Auxiliary Board members in the discharge of their duties. The advice, at that time, was to proceed gradually with this new step so that experience could indicate the most effective manner of its operation. Since then, as a result of the proven value of this expanded service, appointments of assistants in each zone have been steadily and rapidly augmented. The letter of 8 June 1973 stated that ‘believers can serve at the same time both as assistants to Auxiliary Board members and on administrative institutions’.

Adjustments to the number of Continental Boards of Counsellors are made as the Universal House of Justice deems necessary, entailing adjustments to zones assigned to the Boards, t0 the number of Counsellors and to the numbers of Auxiliary Boards and Auxiliary Board members.I Thus the institution operates at all levels throughout the world, reaching into the basic structure of local community life and exerting its encouraging and uplifting influence upon the lives of individuals and the deliberations of institutions, constantly watching over the security of the Faith, pointing the way to the promotion of its best interests, and t0 the ever wider dissemination of its healing message.

D. THE INTERNATIONAL TEACHING CENTRE

Assurance of the extension into the future of the appointed functions of protection and propagation conferred upon the Hands of the Cause was accomplished by the establishment of the Continental Boards of Counsellors. However, that vital goal having been accomplished, the problem remained of ordering the work of the new institution so that it would grow organically with the Faith itself.

In a letter addressed to all National Spiritual Assemblies on 24 June 1968 the Universal House of Justice confirmed that ‘the relation ship of Continental Boards of Counsellors to National Spiritual Assemblies will follow the pattern of the relationship between the Hands of the Cause and National Spiritual Assemblies, outlined by the beloved Guardian in various communications’.

The cablegram addressed by the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual

‘ At Ricjvan 1979 there are thirteen Continental Boards of Counsellors, each Continental Board having two Auxiliary Boards, one for protection and one for propagation; and each Auxiliary Board member having assistants as needed and authorized.

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Assemblies on 21 June 1968 announcing the establishment of Continental Boards of Counsellors had contained a reference to the ‘future establishment international teaching centre Holy Land foreshadowed writings beloved Guardian.’

In October 1971 the Hands of the Cause were notified that after the International Convention for the election of the Universal House of Justice during Riḍván 1973, their presence in the Holy Land for a period of time in order to consult on a number of important subjects would be most welcome. The foremost topic would be the establishment of the international teaching centre about which the Hands had previously been requested to submit their written Views. The Universal House of Justice, in its letter to the Hands of the Cause in October 1971, cited, amongst others, the following three quotations from the Guardian which anticipated the evolution of the World Administrative Centre of the Faith on Mount Carmel and the establishment there of an international teaching centre as the seat of the Hands of the Cause of God:

. it must be clearly understood, nor can it be sufficiently emphasized, that the conjunction of the resting-place of the Greatest Holy Leaf with those of her brother and mother incalculably reinforces the spiritual potencies of that consecrated Spot which, under the wings of the Báb’s overshadowing Sepulchre, and in the vicinity of the future Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, which will be reared on its flank, is destined to evolve into the focal centre of those worldshaking, world-embracing, world-directing administrative institutions, ordained by Bahá’u’lláh and anticipated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and which are to function in consonance with the principles that govern the twin institutions of the Guardianship and the Universal House oflustice. Then, and then only, will this momentous prophecy which illuminates the concluding passages of the Tablet ofCarmel be fulfilled: Ere long will God sail His Ark upon thee (Carmel) and will manifest the people of Bahd who have been mentioned in the Book ofNames.1

In this great Tablet which unveils divine mysteries and heralds the establishment of two mighty, majestic and momentous undertakings—one of which is spiritual and the other administrative, both at the World Centre of the Faith— Baha’u’llah refers to an ‘Ark’, whose dwellers are the men of the Supreme House of Justice, which, in conformity with the exact

‘ Shoghi Effendi, letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, 21 December 1939; see Messages to America, pp. 32—33.

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provisions of the Will and Testament of the Centre of the Mighty Covenant is the body which should lay down laws not explicitly revealed in the Text. In this Dispensation, these laws are destined to flow from this holy mountain, even as in the Mosaic Dispensation the law of God was promulgated from Zion. The ‘sailing Of the Ark’ of His laws is a reference to the establishment of the Universal House of Justice, which is indeed the Seat of Legislation, one of the branches of the World Administrative Centre of the Bahá’ís on this holy mountain. It will be housed in a separate building near the International Archives building, now under construction, on a site in the neighbourhood of the Shrine of the Báb, and overlooking the sacred and illumined Monuments. In the neighbourhood of these two stately edifices and two mighty Institutions (i.e. the Archives Building and the edifice for the House of Justice), another edifice will gradually be erected which will be the Seat of the Guardianship, the Centre which will interpret, expound and prepare commentaries on explicitly revealed laws, and will reinforce and supplement the legislative body. Yet another edifice to supplement these three edifices will be the Centre for the propagation and teaching of the Faith, the Seat for the Hands of the Cause, who, in accordance with the explicit text of the Will and Testament are charged with the security, the preservation and protection of the Cause, the safeguarding of the unity of the community, the promotion of God’s religion and the spread of His Word. These majestic and mighty edifices, which will be constructed gradually in accordance with a beautiful and unique style of architecture around the sacred Monuments, are all considered as branches of this highly-exalted, firmly-grounded and broadly—based World Administrative Centre of the followers of the Cause of Him Who is the Lord of this Age and the Ruler of Creation.2

The raising of this edifice (International Bahá’í Archives) will in turn herald the construction, in the course of successive epochs of the Formative Age of the Faith, of several other structures, which will serve as the administrative seats ofsuch divinely appointed institutions as the Guardianship, the Hands of the Cause, and the Universal House of Justice. These edifices will, in the shape of a far-flung arc, and following a harmonizing style of architecture, surround the resting places of the Greatest Holy Leaf, ranking as foremost among the members of her sex in the Bahá’í Dispensation, of her brother, offered up as a ransom by Bahá’u’lláh for the quickening of the world and its unification, and of their mother, proclaimed by Him to be His chosen ‘consort [n all the worlds of God’. The ultimate completion of this stupendous undertaking will mark the culmination of

z Shoghi Effendi, letter in Persian to the Bahá’í’s of the East, Naw-Ri’iz 111 (1954).

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the development of a world-wide divinely-appointed Administrative Order whose beginnings may be traced as far back as the concluding years of the heroic Age of the Faith.1

On 5 June 1973, following the International Convention and the consultations with the Hands of the Cause, and less than a month after the Counsellors had left the Holy Land to resume their services within their zones, the following announcement was cabled by the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies:

ANNOUNCE ESTABLISHMENT HOLY LAND LONG ANTICIPATED INTERNATIONAL TEACHING CENTRE DESTINED EVOLVE INTO ONE THOSE WORLD SHAKING WORLD EMBRACING WORLD DIRECTING ADMINISTRATIVE INSTITUTIONS ORDAINED BY BAHA’U’LLAH ANTICIPATED BY ‘ABDU’L-BAHA ELUCIDATED BY SHOGHI EFFENDI STOP MEMBERSHIP THIS NASCENT INSTITUTION COMPRISES ALL HANDS CAUSE GOD AND INITIALLY THREE COUNSELLORS WHO WITH HANDS PRESENT HOLY LAND WILL CONSTITUTE NUCLEUS ITS VITAL OPERATIONS STOP CALLING UPON HOOPER DUNBAR FLORENCE MAYBERRY AZIZ YAZDI PROCEED HOLY LAND ASSUME THIS HIGHLY MERITORIOUS SERVICE STOP OFFERING PRAYERS HEARTFELT GRATITUDE SACRED THRESHOLD THIS FURTHER EVIDENCE ORGANIC EVOLUTION ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER BAHA’U’LLAH.

It was followed three days later by this

expanded announcement to the Baha IS of the world:

The centennial year of the revelation of the Kirribi-Aqdas has already witnessed events of such capital significance in the annals of the Bahá’í Dispensation as to cause us to contemplate with awe the rapidity with which Divine Providence is advancing the Cause of the Most Great Name. The time is indeed propitious for the establishment of the International Teaching Centre, a development which, at one and the same time, brings to fruition the work of the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land and provides for its extension into the future, links the institution of the Boards of Counsellors even more intimately with that of the Hands of the Cause of God, and powerfully reinforces the discharge of the rapidly growing responsibilities of the Universal House of Justice.

This International Teaching Centre now established will, in due course, operate from that building designated by the Guardian as the Seat for the Hands

lShoghi Effendi, letter to the Bahá’ís of the world, 27 November 1954; see Messages to the Bahá’í World, p. 74.

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of the Cause, which must be raised on the are on Mount Carmel in close proximity to the Seat of the Universal House of Justice. The duties now assigned to this nascent institution are: To eo—ordinate, stimulate and direct the activities of the Continental Boards of Counsellors and to act as liaison between them and the Universal House of Justice.

To be fully informed of the situation of the Cause in all parts of the world and to be able, from the background of this knowledge, to make reports and recommendations to the Universal House of Justice and give advice to the Continental Boards of Counsellors.

To be alert to possibilities, both within and without the Bahá’í community, for the extension of the teaching work into receptive 0r needy areas, and to draw the attention of the Universal House of Justice and the Continental Boards of Counsellors to such possibilities, making recommendations for action.

To determine and anticipate needs for literature, pioneers and travelling teachers and to work out teaching plans, both regional and global, for the approval of the Universal House of Justice.

All the Hands of the Cause of God will be members of the International Teaching Centre. Each Hand will be kept regularly informed of the activities of the Centre through reports or copies of its minutes, and will be able, wherever he may be residing or travelling, to convey suggestions, recommendations and information to the Centre and, whenever he is in the Holy Land, to take part in the consultations and other activities of the Centre.

In addition, we now appoint Mr. Hooper Dunbar, Mrs. Florence Mayberry and ML ‘Aziz Yazdi to membership of the International Teaching Centre, with the rank of Counsellor. These believers, who have been serving with distinction on the Continental Boards of Counsellors in South America, North America and Central and East Africa respectively, will henceforth reside in Haifa and will, together with the Hands present in the Holy Land, constitute the nucleus of the operations of the Centre.

Authority for the expulsion and reinstatement of Covenant-breakers remains with the Hands of the Cause of God. All such matters will be investigated locally by the relative Continental Board of Counsellors in consultation with any Hand or Hands who may be in the area. The Continental Board of Counsellors and the Hands concerned will then make their reports to the International Teaching Centre where they will be considered. The decision whether or not to expel or reinstate will be made by the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land who will, as at

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present, submit their decision to the Universal House of J ustice for approval. . . .

The decisions now announced are the outcome of deliberation extending over a number of years, reinforced by consultations with the Hands of the Cause of God, and especially with the Hands residing in the Holy Land who were requested in 1968 to assist the Universal House of Justice in the establishment of the International Teaching Centre, a task that now increases in magnitude as that Centre begins its work.

One of the first tasks assigned by the Universal Hoqse of J ustice t0 the International Teaching Centre was to devise the broad outlines of the global teaching plan to begin at Riḍván 1974 and conclude five years later at Riḍván 1979. This comprehensive and detailed survey of the entire Bahá’í world community provided an opportunity for the Teaching Centre to become thoroughly acquainted with the conditions, needs and potentialities of the one hundred and thirteen national Bahá’í communities which made up the Bahá’í international community at Riḍván 1973. A greatly increased flow of vital information from the Continental Boards of Counsellors was called for by the International Teaching Centre, which promised, in turn, the development of an increasingly close relationship between itself and the Boards through a similarly increased flow of materials from the Teaching Centre. At

M M

The Hand of the CauseAbu’l—stim Faizi (second from right) during his visit to Fiji in March

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the request of the House of Justice the Teaching Centre also evolved a plan for international collaboration on travelling teaching projects.

The divinely ordained institution of the Hands of the Cause of God, having been brought into active reality by the Guardian of the Faith according to the directives of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Will and Testament, was confronted in its infancy with an appalling crisis in the life of that Faith whose protection was its prime duty. During the interregnum between the passing of the Guardian and the election of the Universal House of Justice, the Hands of the Cause as its Chief Stewards, maintained the integrity and unity of the Faith. The functions of protection and propagation appointed to this great institution have now been extended into the future in a manner consonant with the principles of the Faith. The Continental Boards of Counsellors with their attendant Auxiliary Boards for protection and propagation, the assistants to the Auxiliary Board members, all co-ordinated and kept in relationship to the Universal House of Justice by the International Teaching Centre, form the fabric of the appointive arm of the Administrative Order of the Faith, which will in increasing measure exert its spiritualizing influence upon the development of the Bahá’í community and of all mankind.

1 977presented copies ofThe Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh and The Bahá’í World, vol. XV, to

Professor L. F. Brosnahan (second from 1e fi‘), Deputy Vice- Chancellor and acting Head 0 fthe

School of Education, University of the South Pacific, Suva. Also seen are Mr. John Weeks, Reader in Education (far left), and Mr. Ivan Williams, Lecturer in Education (far right).

[Page 326]326

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2. THE WORK AND TRAVELS OF THE HANDS OF THE CAUSE

AS the Five Year Plan came to an end it was possible to see in perspective the Vital role of the Hands of the Cause of God as they continued their worldwide services of protecting the Cause, proclaimingits truths, deepening the knowledge of its adherents and, by example, inspiring them to greater heights of dedicated activity. The section of this volume that deals with the growth of national communities bears numerous references to the stimulating visits of the Hands as they criss-crossed the Bahá’í world in their travels. The section on the eight International Teaching Conferences features their outstanding contributions to those extraordinary occasions of proclamation and of ingathering of the friends. The list of twelve inaugural Conventions points to those Hands who, as representatives of the Universal House of Justice, graced these gatherings, while all who were able to do so attended the fourth International Bahá’í Convention in Haifa in April 1978.

The following is a brief summary of major travels and works during the three years covered by this volume, a summation which can do little more than hint at the influence exerted by the Hands of the Cause through their presence, their constant correspondence or their direct endeavours in support of the manifold programmes of expansion and consolidation organized by the believers.

Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum

In addition to her services in the Holy Land as a member of the International Teaching Centre, Amatu’l—Baha Rfihl’yyih Khánum in the period under review made a number of journeys, visiting Bahá’í communities in Europe, Asia, the Far East and the Pacific region. Her attendance as the representative of the Universal House of Justice at the International Teaching Conference held in Paris in August 1976—largest of the eight conferences in the series held during the Five Year Plan and reported in detail elsewhere in this volume—was a source of great inspiration and joy to the friends, approximately 6,000 in number, who were present. Later that year she spent several months in Bermuda assisting the

believers in their teaching work and in the decoration of their newly—acquired Hazl’ratu’l‘ Quds, and became so attached to the Bermuda Bahá’ís that she later described herself as a ‘mini-pioneer’ to that island.

In the latter half of 1977 Rúḥíyyih Khánum returned to India where, in addition to revisiting some centres she had visited previously, she travelled to Chandigarh, joint capital of Punjab and Haryana States, and to Kashmir. She also revisited Nepal. A gracious reception was accorded her by various people prominent in Government and public life in India. Mid-October found her in New Delhi as the guest of honour at the Asian Bahá’í Women’s Conference attended by more than 1,000 women from some thirty countries. Following this she represented the Universal House of Justice at the ceremony of the laying of the foundation stone of the Mashriqu’l-Acflkér of India.

Illness forced the abandonment of Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s long-cherished plan to visit the Japanese friends immediately following her Indian tour. She broke her journey in Australia where she sought treatment and recuperation but even here, though her activities were circumscribed by her impaired health, she met with the friends and made herself available for interviews with representatives of the media. En route to the Holy Land in February she stopped off in the Philippines and in Bombay for meetings with the Bahá’ís, and in April took part in the sessions of the fourth International Bahá’í Convention in Haifa.

A globe-girdling trip of eight months’ duration commenced in July. After visiting Bahá’í communities in Europe and the United Kingdom Amatu’l-Bahá proceeded to Japan to realize the plan she had reluctantly abandoned the year before, Visiting thirty-five centres on the four principal islands, Honshu, Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kyushu, where meetings with the friends, addresses to non-Bahá’í organizations and interviews with prominent officials fully occupied her time, a pattern of intensity which did not lessen on her subsequent visit to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

Following this Rúḥíyyih Khánum spent nine

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weeks in another hemisphere, the pivot of this period being her attendance as the representative of the Universal House of Justice at the ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár Of Samoa, participating in this significant event with His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II, Head of State of Western Samoa, in whose capital, Apia, the Temple will rise. A warm and hospitable reception was accorded by His Highness and enthusiastic welcomes greeted her visits to the three main islands of Savai‘i and Upqu (Western Samoa) and Tutuila (American Samoa).

Proceeding by way of Fiji, New Hebrides and New Caledonia where she met with the friends and reinforced their teaching efforts, Rt’ihiyyih Qlénum arrived in New Zealand where she visited both the North and South Islands, taking particular delight in the meetings held on the Maori Maraes which provided an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the Maori Bahá’ís and believers from other Pacific islands. Travelling homeward at the end of March she met again Bahá’ís of Hong Kong and Bombay.

Ugo Giachery

From his home in Monaco, Dr. Ugo Giachery has been involved primarily with aiding and stimulating the Bahá’í communities of

t ,1

327

Europe, attending many summer and winter schools, teaching and youth conferences, national conventions, and travelling at intervals t0 inspirit the friends in various countries. He was the representative of the Universal House of Justice at the inaugural convention of the National Spiritual Assembly of Cyprus in 1978. As special missions from the Universal House of Justice, Dr. Giachery journeyed to London in September 1976 to meet His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II at the time of his visit to the resting place of Shoghi Effendi. In May 1977 Dr. Giachery journeyed to Western Samoa to participate, as the representative of the House of Justice, in the observance of Independence Day.

‘Ali-Akbar F urtitan

Continuing his triad of services to the Cause in the Holy Land, Mr. ‘AIi-Akbar Furt’ltan has devoted his energies to the International Teaching Centre, to the many pilgrims and visitors, and to scholarly researches and writing in areas of importance to the Faith. In the summer periods he has concentrated on summer school activities afield while undertaking other teaching assignments: to the U.S.A. and Canada in 1976, proceeding thence to India for conferences and proclamation activities and to Hong Kong for the International Teaching Conference; in 1977 to England, the USA.

‘ 3?;

The Hand of the Cause ‘Alz’—Akbar Furzitan (second from left) paying a courtesy call on Mr. Krishan Chand, Lieutenant Governor oflndia; November 1976. Left to right: Counsellor Zena Sorabjee, Mr. Furu’tan, Mr. Krishan Chand, Mrs. Furiitan, Mr. R. N. Shah.

[Page 328]328

and Canada, on to Alaska, Japan and to Iran for four months of intensive teaching; and in 1978 to western Europe to teach at four summer schools and visit believers in six countries.

D_hikru’lláh K_hddem

In August 1976 Mr. thkru’lláh fliédem completed an extensive International Registry of Bahá’í Holy Places and Historic Sites in the Holy Land for the International Bahá’í Archives. In March 1977 he finished work on a comprehensive, scrupulously documented study of places visited by the Master in England and America. Although he devoted himself primarily to assisting the national communities Of the United States and Canada through attendance at innumerable conferences, schools sessions and other gatherings, and through consultations with National Assemblies and the Continental Board of Counsellors in North America, Mr. Khádem has also undertaken several international journeys: in April 1977 to represent the Universal House of Justice at the inaugural convention of the National Spiritual Assembly of Surinam and French Guiana, followed by visits to Trinidad and Guyana; and in May 1978 to represent the House of Justice at the first conventions of two national communities in western Asia, combined with a visit to Persia.

flu‘d‘u’lláh ‘Ald’z’

During turbulent days for the Faith in Iran, General flu‘é‘u’llah ‘Ala’i’ has continued his work with the National Spiritual Assembly and Counsellors on the difficult problems relating to the protection of the Cause. He was able to leave Persia for visits to the Holy Land and for consultation with the International Teaching Centre in 1977 and again in 1978, and was present at the International Convention at Riḍván 1978. He took up residence in France in late 1978 and attended the National Convention of the Bahá’ís of Austria in 1979.

Adelbert M fihlschlegel

Dr. Adelbert Mfihlschlegel made his home in Germany in 1973, but in February 1977, after participating in Bahá’í schools in Cyprus and Greece, he moved to Athens and in April of that year represented the Universal House of Justice at the inaugural convention of the National Spiritual Assembly of Greece. Dr.

THE BAHA‘I WORLD

Mühlschlegel has continued steadily to write on behalf of the Faith and to engage in scholarly, studies. In June 1977 the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Germany, in tribute to Dr. Mühlschlegel, produced through its Publishing Trust a selection of his poems. After visiting the Holy Land in November 1977 Dr. Mfihlschlegel returned to Greece where he has continued to assist that young and struggling community.

JaldIK_hdzeh

In Persia, Colonel Jalal _I§_1_1azeh has continued his aid to the community in the work of teaching, and in the difficult duties of protection at a trying time in the evolution of the Faith in that land. He attended the International Convention in 1978 and visited the Holy Land on one other occasion during that year. Recently he has transferred his residence from Ṭihrán to a locality near Babul.

PaulHaney

Deeply involved in the development and administration of the International Teaching Centre, Mr. Paul Haney has participated actively in its day-to-day work, and in services to pilgrims and visitors. In 1977 he attended the International Teaching Conferences in Bahia and Mérida, representing the Universal House of Justice at the latter. In November 1978 he was in Germany for conferences following which he met with the friends in Belgium and took part in the dedication of the National Haziratu’I-Quds.

‘Ali-Muhammad Varqti

Assigned by the Universal House of Justice the special task of assembling reliable accounts of the beginnings and initial stages in the development of the Faith in various parts of the world, Dr. ‘Ali—Muhammad Varqa has been gathering narratives, documents, tapes and other materials from early believers and pioneers. Simultaneously he has continued his duties as Trustee of the Ḥuqúqu’lláh. In April/May 1977 he was the representative of the Universal House of Justice at the first Convention of the French Antilles and, thereafter, travelled extensively in the Caribbean zone. In May 1978 he represented the House of Justice at the inaugural Conventions of Mauritania and Burundi, after attending the International

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The Hand Ofthe Cause Alf-Muhanimad Varqd (extreme right) visiting the Amerindian village

of Organabo, French Guiana; Spring 1979.

Bahá’í Convention, and following which he travelled in the United States and Canada. Departing from Ṭihrán in the autumn of 1978 he taught in western Europe and then proceeded to Canada where he now makes his home. He attended the 1979 Convention of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Brazil.

Enoch Olinga

Beginning in the early summer of 1976 Mr. Enoch Olinga initiated a lengthy trip, first to eight countries of western Africa, then to a number of South American countries prior to his attendance at the International Conferences in Bahia and Mérida. He was the representative Of the Universal House of Justice at the Bahia Conference. He then proceeded to visit many of the Bahá’í communities of the Caribbean islands and returned to Africa to attend the Annual Convention of Sénégal and the inaugural Convention of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Upper Volta. Mr. Olinga attended a teaching conference in Nigeria in July 1 977, followed by travel to various neighbouring countries, and since that time has confined his work to the support and organization of his beleaguered home community of Uganda.

William Sears

Devoting himself primarily to activating and reinforcing the American and Canadian homefronts from his base in Canada, Mr. William Sears has continued to display characteristic creativity in many fields of Bahá’í endeavour: initiating an annual ‘Gathering’ in Ontario, beginning a new television series of thirteen programmes to be produced in Hawaii, issuing exhortatory letters and tapes, working on new books, and developing dramatic programmes of proclamation and teaching including a five-City ‘Victory Campaign’ in the United States, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Souvenir’ programmes, and the ARISE campaign. He attended both the Anchorage and Nairobi International Conferences, and was the representative of the Universal House of J ustice at the latter. Subsequently he made teaching tours in Canada. In both Canada and the United States Mr. Sears has contributed to conferences, schools, National Conventions and has had stimulating consultations with the National Spiritual Assemblies and the Continental Board of Counsellors. In May 1978 he represented the Universal House of J ustice at the first Convention of the Bahama Islands after attending the International Convention in the Holy Land.

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John Robarts

Mr. John Robarts has focused upon the special needs and opportunities of Canada, participating in all national programmes to strengthen the Faith in that forward-striding community, travelling extensively at intervals, attending the National Conventions, and consulting regularly with the National Assembly and the Continental Board of Counsellors. After attending the Anchorage, Paris and Nairobi International Teaching Conferences—doing European teaching en route—Mr. Robarts undertook assignments in Southern and East Africa. In 1978 he visited the American South, and in February 1979 travelled to Mexico.

H. M. Balylizi

Continuing his arduous scholarship on the origins of the Faith, Mr. Hasan M. Balyt’lzi in 1976 published a monumental and illuminating work Muhammad and the Course OfIsldm, and has been devoting himself since to his comprehensive Life of Bahá’u’lláh, a study in four volumes. The first, a biography of the Manifestation, is scheduled for publication in late 1979 and will be in circulation as this volume of the international record goes to press.

1'

The Hand of the Cause John Robarts (centre) and Mrs. Robarts (seated to the left) with some

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H . Collis F eatherstone

Mr. H. Collis Featherstone made global journeys for the Faith. He began a round-theworld trip in June 1976, going first to the Anchorage Conference where he was the representative Of the Universal House of Justice, then proceeding to East and Southern Africa and Bahá’í communities in the Indian Ocean. He travelled in East Asia in December, attended the Auckland Conference in J anuary 1977, and at Riḍván represented the House of Justice at the inaugural Convention of the Marshall Islands. He attended the Convention of the Mariana Islands, followed by further travels in East Asia. In the autumn of 1977 he visited many Bahá’í communities in islands of the South Pacific and during the winter returned to Southern Africa. After attending the International Convention at Riḍván 1978, Mr. Featherstone methodically visited the countries of Southern Asia and the South-east Asian islands, adding in the fall another extensive journey throughout Pacific Oceania. In that winter and the spring of 1979, Mr. Featherstone made a third African journey to west, east, and south Africa and en route to his home in Australia visited the Bahá’ís of Maun'tius and Réunion.

participants in the Irish Bahá’í Summer School; August I 976.

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Rahmatu’lhih Muhájir

With extraordinary energy and zeal, Dr. Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir has devoted himself to the needs of the world—wide Bahá’í national communities, few of which have failed to feel the stimulus of his dynamic presence and share the vision of their futures; many countries have sprung to new life and taken fresh initiatives from his guidance in relation to expansion and consolidation. From the Brazilian Convention of 1976 Dr. Muhájir journeyed northward through Latin America, ultimately to the United States, and to Europe for Summer Schools and conferences, then onward to West Africa, and so on to the Nairobi Conference in East Africa; thence to East Asia for the Hong Kong Conference and its satellite gatherings. In 1977 he returned to South and Central America for the International Conferences Of Bahia and Mérida and their related programmes, and toured various islands and countries of East and South-eastern Asia before attending the Annual Convention of India. Later he undertook a European tour, attended a number of Summer Schools and conferences, and proceeded to the Holy Land and Train. An extensive autumn journey to Africa was cut short in Cameroon. Soon he was again in iran, and revisiting countries of Europe in early 1978. Following the inaugural Conventions of the Caroline Islands and the Mariana Islands in May—he was the representative of the Uni

s

The Hand Ofthe Cause Collis Featherstone (left) visiting the site Ofthe local Bahá’í’ Centre of

331

versal House of Justice at the latter—and attendance at the International Convention in Haifa, Dr. Muhájir travelled in the South Pacific, returning to East and South Central Asia. After visits to Europe and the Holy Land, in early 1979 he returned again to Africa before hastening to East Asia and the Annual Conventions of the Philippine and Malaysian Bahá’í communities.

Abu’l-stim F aizi

From his home in the Holy Land Mr. Abu’l-Qasim Faizi continues his heavy burden of correspondence with friends around the world, devotes himself to the pilgrims and visitors to Haifa, to his ongoing scholarly studies, and to the duties of the International Teaching Centre. In 1976 Mr. Faizi travelled extensively in the Northwest Pacific and later in the South Pacific. He was the representative of the Universal House of J ustice at the Auckland International Conference in January 1977 from whence he visited various island communities before attending the inaugural Convention of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Hebrides at Riḍván. From there he proceeded to India and iran. After attending the International Convention Mr. Faizi

attended three European Summer Schools in the summer of 1978 and visited seven other countries inspiring the friends through his wise counsel and loving spirit.

I

Fagafau, Savai’i, Western Samoa; 12 April 1977. Mr. and Mrs. Pula Ofila, who donated the site and are building the structure, are seen in the centre of the photograph.

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The Hand Ofthe Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Rdhz’yyih fluinum (centre) and herfellow Hands Ofthe

Cause who participated in the International Teaching Conference in Paris at which Rdhz’yyih

K_htinum represented the Universal House of Justice. Left 10 right: Mr. John Robarts, Dr.

‘Alt’-Muhammad Varqd, Dr. Rahmatu’lláh Muhájir, Mr. D_hikru’lláh K_hddem, Mr. Collis Featherstone.

if A i"; a .. eRahm

atu’lláh Muhd— The hand of the Cause Ugo Giacher

The Ha‘nd Ofthe Caus

fir and Mr. Mazco Kucel, a Mayan Bahá’í of (centre) and Mrs. Giachery with some Ofthe Quintana Roo, Mexico, photographed dur- 130 participants from 24 communities who ing the International Teaching Conference, attended the Teaching Conference held in

Mérida, Yucatén; February 1977. San Zano, Italy; May 1976.

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333

Abu’l-Qásim Faizi

Dr. Adelbert Mfihlschlegel

Dr. ‘Ali-Muhammad Varqé

H. Collis Featherstone

D_hikru’lláh Qadem'

Enoch Olinga

William Sears

Dr. Ugo Giachery

Dr. ‘Alf-Muhammad Varqé

Dr. Rahmatu’lláh Muhájir

3. HANDS OF THE CAUSE WHO REPRESENTED THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE AT CONVENTIONS FOR THE ELECTION OF 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 1976—1979, the name Ofthe new National SpiritualAssemb/y, its seat, the parent or sponsoring NationalAssembly and, in chronological order, the dates Ofthe Conventions.

thfin1977

New Hebrides— Port Vila

(South West Pacific Ocean)

April 22—24

Greece—Athens

(Germany)

April 23—24

French Antilles—Pointe-é-Pitre, Guadeloupe (Leeward and Virgin Islands)

April 23—24

Marshall Islands—Majuro

(North West Pacific Ocean)

April 23—25

Surinam and French Guiana—Paramaribo, Surinam (Guyana, Surinam and French Guiana)

April 30—May 1

Upper Volta—Ouagadougou

(Ivory Coast, Mali and Upper Volta)

May 2—3

1978

The Bahamas—Nassau

(The United States of America) May 19—21

Cyprus—Nicosia

(The United Kingdom)

May 20—21

Mauritania— Nouakchott (Upper West Africa)

May 27—28

The Mariana Islands—Agana, Guam (North West Pacific Ocean) May 26—28

‘ Mr. Rhikru‘lláhflédem also attended the inaugural Conventions where two new National Spiritual Assemblies in Western

Asia were established in May 1978.