Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum (born Mary Sutherland Maxwell; 8 August 1910 – 19 January 2000) was an American-born Canadian Hand of the Cause of the Baháʼí Faith.

She was the wife of the Ottoman-born Iranian religious figure Shoghi Effendi, who succeeded his grandfather ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to become the Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith between 1921 and 1957.

In this capacity, she was among the leading Hands of the Cause who, following Effendi's death in 1957, took on the role of ensuring the transfer of the religion's supreme legal authority to the Universal House of Justice, which has governed out of Haifa, Israel, since 1963.

Khánum was born to Canadian architect William Sutherland Maxwell and American spiritualist Mary Ellis Bolles, both Christians who later became Baháʼís.

For much of the latter half of her life, Khánum actively ventured throughout many parts of South America, sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands, where she worked to establish and develop local Baháʼí communities.

[5] Considered attractive and a gifted orator by her contemporaries, Khánum quickly established herself as a prominent member of the Baháʼí Faith in North America.

[7] Khánum also held talks at Howard University, making a concerted effort to connect with African Americans who were interested in the Bahá’í Faith.

Additionally, while in her early 20s, she attended a number of official functions with her father in Montreal, meeting dignitaries like the Governor General of Canada at a variety of events, such as the Fifty-Fourth Exhibition of the Royal Canadian Academy.

[9] Instead, in 1935, just two years after Adolf Hitler's rise to power, she chose to live with her cousin in Germany in a move that was endorsed by Effendi, who encouraged her to strengthen the fledgling German Baháʼí community.

As Rúhíyyih was getting used to life in the East, the newlyweds made a trip to Switzerland, and Shoghi Effendi introduced his young bride to his favourite sights in the country.

The Hands voted among themselves for nine individuals to work at the Baháʼí World Centre to run the administration of the Faith, a position to which Rúhíyyih Khánum was elected; these nine were designated the Custodians.

[2] Upon the election of the Universal House of Justice in 1963, the ending point of Shoghi Effendi's ten-year plan, the nine Hands acting as interim head of the Faith closed their office.

[2] From January to March 1970, she crossed Africa from east to west, driving 2/3 of the distance herself, visiting many country's communities, meeting with individuals and institutions, both Baháʼí and civic.

Thirty six tribal groups were visited over a period of six months; the trip was called The Green Light Expedition,[22][23][24] which followed Khanum's The Great African Safari.

[2] Rúhíyyih Khánum was also an author; she wrote several books including The Priceless Pearl, which is a biography of Shoghi Effendi;[28] Twenty-Five Years of the Guardianship;,[29] Prescription for Living, which discussed the application of spiritual principles to one's life.