Hands of the Cause
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Hands of the Cause of God (abbreviated as Hands or Hands of the Cause), in the Baháʼí Faith, refers to several prominent Baha'is appointed for life by Baha'u'llah, 'Abdu'l-Baha', and Shoghi Effendi to promote the Baháʼí teachings and preserve the unity of the Baháʼí Faith community. Each one of the appointees is referred to as a Hand of the Cause. Of the fifty individuals given the title, Baha'u'llah appointed four during his lifetime; 'Abdu'l-Baha' also posthumously designated four individuals as Hands of the Cause; and afterwards, Shoghi Effendi appointed forty-two to this rank over the 36 years of his ministry. Hands of the Cause played a significant role in propagating the religion and protecting it from schism.
'Abdu'l-Baha' formally defined the role of these prominent Baháʼís, elaborated on their responsibilities, and emphasized their importance. In his Will and Testament, he stated that the responsibility for appointing and guiding the Hands in the future would rest with his successor, Shoghi Effendi. A few weeks before his death in November 1957, Shoghi Effendi appointed the final group of the Hands, and in a letter to the Baháʼís of the world, referred to the Body of the Hands as the Chief Stewards of the Baháʼí Faith. This Body of 27 men and women assumed the leadership and guidance of the worldwide Baháʼí community for six years following the death of Shoghi Effendi, until the election of the Universal House of Justice in April 1963. In the administrative structure of the Baháʼí Faith, authority is not held by individuals; rather, decisions are made collectively through consultation in Baháʼí councils. The supreme governing institution is the Universal House of Justice in the Baháʼí Faith.
The temporary administration of the affairs of the faith by the Hands until the formation of the Universal House of Justice was foreseen in the Kitab-i-Aqdas. After its establishment in April 1963, the Universal House of Justice created the Institution of the Counsellors in 1968, and the appointed Continental Counsellors over time took on the role that the Hands of the Cause were filling. The functions of the Hands were gradually transferred to newly formed institutions of Continental Boards of Counsellors and subsequently the International Teaching Center, whose membership included five Counsellors from around the world and all living Hands of the Cause as permanent members. The announcement in 1968 also changed the role of the Hands of the Cause, from continental appointments to worldwide. As the Hands of the Cause died, the number of the Counsellors serving at the International Teaching Centre reached nine and took on the functions of the nine Hands of the Cause who worked in the Baháʼí World Centre in the lifetime of Shoghi Effendi until the establishment of the International Teaching Center.