Bahai 101

Lesson 3: The Evolution Of The Faith

Hands of the Cause of God

The Hands of the Cause of God were first appointed by Baha'u'llah from 1887-1890. These groups of people were messengers between Baha'u'llah and the Bahais of Iran. Later, they protected Abd'u'lBahas title of Servant of God. Baha'u'llah and Abd'u'lBaha both appointed four Hands of the Cause of God. Abd'u'lBaha gave Shoghi Effendi authority to appoint more of these Hands to work with him.

Between 1925 and 1952, Shoghi Effendi appointed several Hands to work with him. By the time of his death, there were thirty-two Hands of the Cause of God appointed to safeguard the Faith and send messages to the Bahai world. When Shoghi Effendi died in 1957, the Hands of the Cause of God took Shoghi Effendi's role.

As they began to discuss where the faith should now go, they turned towards Abd'u'lBahas will and testament. With this in place, they elected the first Universal House of Justice in 1963. Since this time, no hands of the cause can be appointed, as the sole responsibility lies in the hands of the Universal House of Justice.

Following are some of the stories of the work of the Hands of the Cause of God, which were appointed by Shoghi Effendi.

Dorothy Baker

Dorothy was appointed as a Hand of the Cause in 1951. She was of English Protestant background, but her grandmother was a well-known early Bahai. In the 1930's, Dorothy devoted most of her time to giving speeches to the public about the concepts of the Bahai Faith. She was one of the first Bahais to write out pamphlets and radio scripts as well. In the 1940s, she gave her well being up entirely, and traveled around Latin America and Europe to tell others about the faith. She eventually died in an air crash in January of 1954.

Ali-Akbar Furutan

Ali-Akbar Furutan was born and raised in Iran. At the age of nine, he was forced to leave his native city with his family because of the strong persecutions taking place with Bahais. They settled in Russia, where Furutan became a teacher while still in his teens. In 1926 he attended the University of Moscow to study education and child psychology. Four years later, he was exiled from the Soviet Union because of his activity with the Bahai. He returned to Iran and established a school for Bahais, as well as wrote books for Bahai children’s classes. He was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God in 1951. After Shoghi Effendi's death, he moved to Haifa, Israel where he remained until his death in 2002.

Amatu'lBaha Ruhiyyih Khanum

Khanum was born in raised in America and Canada. Her parents were both appointed Hands of the Cause of God in 1951 by Shoghi Effendi. She moved to Europe in 1935 simply to help with Bahai activities. It was here that she met Shoghi Effendi, and they married two years later, in March of 1937. She became his personal secretary for the Cause, and in 1951 became his liaison between him and the Bahai councils. She traveled extensively, especially after Shoghi Effendi's death. Her travels took her from Latin America, to North America, Europe, India, China, and even Australia. She also was a major point of unity for the Hands of the Cause after Shoghi Effendi's death. Her title, Amatu'lBaha means maidservant of God. She died in the year of 2000.

These three examples are to show the lives that the Hands of the Cause of God led. The others were from all parts of the world, with all kinds of backgrounds. Their one commonality was their devotion to the Bahai Faith.

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