Hands of the Cause

Hand of the Cause was a title given to prominent early members of the Baháʼí Faith, appointed for life by the religion's founders.

During the period between the death of Shoghi Effendi and the election of the Universal House of Justice the Hands of the Cause held a convocation from which they constituted a body of nine from among their number to serve in the Holy Land and to act as Custodians of the Baháʼí Faith, a body which functioned without officers and with a quorum of five, whose duties included taking care of Baháʼí World Center properties and other assets; corresponding with and advising National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies; acting on behalf of the Baháʼí Faith for its protection; and maintaining close contact with the rest of the Hands, who would henceforth devote their time to the successful completion of the goals of the Ten Year Crusade.

The Hands of the Cause maintained the number of Custodians, replacing those who died or were unable, for health or personal reasons, to remain at the Baháʼí World Center permanently.

The idea of a group of nine elected from among the Hands of the Cause to stay at the Baha'i World Centre was referred to in the Will and Testament of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, one of the defining documents of Baháʼí administration.

All eligible appointees as Guardian had been excommunicated and no appointment had been made by Shoghi Effendi, so they left the situation to be decided by the Universal House of Justice, which had the scriptural authority to legislate on matters that were unaddressed in the religion's texts.