The Guardian Part 21

“It is killing me!” Background image: closeup of Shoghi Effendi’s last map, Map of the Progress of the World Crusade 1953 – 1958. Source: Bahá'í Library Online.

One day, when Rúḥíyyih Khánum was going through various lists and numbers with the Guardian, he said to her—as he had many, many times during the last year of his life—and said:

This work is killing me! How can I go on with this? I shall have to stop it. It is too much. Look at the number of places I have to write down. Look how exact I have to be!

“As soon as I found the friends strong enough to do this, I said build this wall.” Photograph of dry stone wall by Rob Mitchell Source: Flickr (license CC0 Public Domain Dedication).

The Guardian grew the Administrative Order of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh from a small sprout to a sapling to a mature, giant Oak tree in 36 years.

Nothing like what the Guardian accomplished in the organization of a world religion had ever been done or will ever be repeated.

One night, Leroy Ioas told the Guardian:

Shoghi Effendi, you know the way that the administrative order in America grew and developed, and I know the matchless way in which you did this thing, it was almost the work of a genius, the way you accomplished and built this Cause and made it what it is today.

The Guardian responded that Leroy Ioas was very much mistaken if he thought he had been following a plan.

Shoghi Effendi emphasized he had been guided by God in every single decision:

Leroy, you talk like you think that I sat over here in the Holy Land, and I had a blueprint of this Bahá'í World Order, and that I started to build it. As soon as I found the friends strong enough to do this, I said build this wall. And then a little later I said build that wall, and then build this wall. And then lay that floor. If you have that idea, dismiss it from your mind. When I became Guardian, I didn’t know what the steps to be taken were. God guided me. And when he gave me guidance I did what He guided me to do, and then I didn’t know what the next step would be until I got the guidance, and when I got the guidance, we did it. And then I didn’t know what the next step would be. I may have thought of what it might be, but I didn’t know until I got the guidance, and then I did. I have supreme confidence that God will guide me to do whatever is necessary for the Cause whenever it should be done.

Then, Shoghi Effendi brought in the whole Bahá'í community into the conversation by saying that the Bahá'ís needed to have the same confidence in their teaching and in their service in the unerring guidance of God that had sustained him throughout his Guardianship:

The Baha’is of the world must have exactly that same confidence. They must have confidence that God will guide the Guardian to do what should be done for the welfare of the Cause at the moment it should be done, and unless they have that confidence, the Cause cannot succeed.

Background photo by Dejan Zakic on Unsplash.

The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh holds a very special rank among the works of Shoghi Effendi.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum herself makes it abundantly clear that the Guardian attached a tremendous amount of importance to this long letter dated 8 February 1934 to the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada, where he sheds light on the station of the three Central Figures of the Faith, the Guardianship and the Administrative Order.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum stated in the Priceless Pearl:

However Shoghi Effendi felt in his inmost heart about his other writings, I know from his remarks that he considered he had said all he had to say, in many ways, in the Dispensation.

Shoghi Effendi repeatedly stated to Bahá'í pilgrims that The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh should be regarded as his will and testament.

These of course have the value of only pilgrim notes, but we do have a concrete and undeniable evidence from the Guardian himself about the importance the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh occupied in his mind.

Although the Guardian never wrote a Will and Testament, he emphasized throughout his life, that he considered the Dispensation his spiritual will and testament. Often, to Persian pilgrims, the Guardian would refer to it as his will.

But the clearest testament to this strong feeling of the Guardian is a letter he wrote to Hand of the Cause Adelbert Mühlschlegel. Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel had written to the Guardian if it would be possible for the German Bahá'ís to publish a compilation of the Will and Testament of Bahá'u'lláh, and the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.

The Guardian responded that this would be permissible, but that they should also consider adding the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh. In his letter, the Guardian called the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh an invaluable supplement and annex to the Will and Testament of Bahá'u'lláh, and the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.

The Guardian allowed the German National Spiritual Assembly to publish the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh as the third document in a compilation of three documents, which included two Wills and Testaments.

“I suppose you will travel and encourage the friends.” Bahá’í Continental Conference of Africa, with Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, in Monrovia, Liberia, in January 1971. Source: Bahá'í Media Bank, © Bahá'í International Community 2023.

One day, in the last years of his ministry, the Guardian was passing by Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s desk when he looked at her and asked:

What will become of you after I die?

Rúḥíyyih Khánum, frightened and agitated, said:

Oh, I don't want to live after you; don't say such terrible words.

The Guardian didn’t pay any attention to her words and continued, thoughtfully:

I suppose you will travel and encourage the friends.

Those were the only words the Guardian had ever spoken to Rúḥíyyih Khánum regarding her life without him.

In 1963, when the Ministry of the Custodians ended and the Universal House of Justice was finally elected, Amatu’l-Bahá Ruḥíyyíh Khánum’s demanding administrative responsibilities were handed over to the Supreme Body of Bahá'u'lláh’s Administrative Order.

Ten years later, on 19 January 1973, Rúḥíyyih Khánum and Violette Nakhjávání visited the village of Kaga, 40 kilometers outside Kigali, Rwanda.

Speaking to over 250 men, women, and children gathered outside under the shadow of a massive tree, Rúḥíyyih Khánum shared a rare intimate glimpse of her life, and how she felt when the Universal House of Justice was elected:

I was freed and started my travels to fulfil the wish of my beloved Guardian.

That is why, in my old age, and as a widow, I am travelling through this continent and visiting the friends in their cities, towns and villages.

“he did not feel he could finish this task he had undertaken” Background photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash.

Nothing at all had alerted Rúḥíyyih Khánum that Shoghi Effendi would soon die, but she remembered, after he had passed away a comment he had once made to her.

One of the goals of the Ten Year Crusade was the synopsis and codification of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the Most Holy Book and the Mother Book of the Bahá'í Dispensation, which the Guardian started working on in 1954 but was not able to complete.

It was a monumental task.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum was sitting in the room as the Guardian worked on this project out loud—it had been Shoghi Effendi’s lifelong habit to always have someone in the room when he worked, and he wrote out loud.

Shoghi Effendi was making notes, on a thematic arrangement of the subjects contained in the Most Holy Book, in order to help Bahá'ís understand the true nature of Bahá'í laws and ordinances.

It was at that time that Shoghi Effendi remarked, more than once that he did not feel he could finish this task he had undertaken.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum describes her reaction:

I attached no particular importance to this, as he sometimes fretted under the terrible load of his ever-increasing work, and attributed it to his great fatigue at the end of the long, exhausting, unbroken stretch of labour he had passed through during his months at home.

After his death I remembered and wondered.

“I am getting so tired of my papers” Background photo by Niklas Bildhauer via Wikimedia Commons.

One evening, the Guardian came to dinner at the Western Pilgrim House in a deeply troubled mood. He didn't want to eat, and when Rúḥíyyih Khánum urged him to have some food he pushed the plate aside. He began to speak in an introspective way:

You know, shortly before Baha'u'llah passed away the Master went to see Him in Bahji and found His papers strewn over the sofa. The Master collected them and laid them on the divan next to Baha'u'llah. He said, “Bahá'u'lláh, I have collected your papers, I have put them in order and I have put them here for you.” Bahá'u'lláh said, “It is of no use to gather them, I must leave them and flee away. Shortly before 'Abdu'l-Bahá passed away they found His papers scattered about His room, and He was very meticulous. His secretaries collected the papers, put them in order and brought them to the Master. But He put them aside and said, “I am done with the papers, it is finished now. I don't want them any more.” Shortly afterwards He passed away. I am getting so tired of my papers, I don't want them anymore. I just don't want these papers any more. I am going to throw them away just as Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá did.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum was very distressed. She said:

Shoghi Effendi, every Bahá'í in the world would do anything to lighten this burden for you. Tell them what to do.

Leroy Ioas chimed in:

Shoghi Effendi, why don't you give these papers to ‘Rúḥíyyih Khánum and myself? We will digest them for you, we will pick put the salient points and call them to your attention; then you can give us your decisions and we will do this work for you. Shoghi Effendi, why don't you stop seeing all these pilgrims individually, walking with the Oriental pilgrims, talking with them, spending the whole afternoon with them. Then in the evening you visit with the Western pilgrims, answering their questions, speaking with them.

But the Guardian replied:

No, the time is not yet ripe for these things.

On one rare evening, Shoghi Effendi, weary and pressed from work and not far from the time of his passing, wished to speak only of spiritual matters, and said:

Let us enter the door of heaven and forget for a few moments.

Shoghi Effendi spoke at length, and uttered the most penetrating words Hand of the Cause Leroy Ioas had ever heard from him in the five years he had spent in Haifa, since 1952, over countless such dinners.

As Leroy Ioas was walking the Guardian home that evening after dinner, Shoghi Effendi turned to him and said:

Leroy, you know I have been Guardian of the Cause for thirty-six years. Bahá'u'lláh was the head of the Faith, from the time of His announcement in 1863, for twenty-eight years, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá for twenty-nine years. I have been the head of the Faith for thirty-six years. In the days of the Bab the Cause was established in two countries, in the days of Baha'u'llah in eleven and in the days of the Master in thirty-one. Today it is established in two hundred and fifty countries and islands of the world. The responsibilities, the work, the worries are simply weighing on me and I must have some relief.

Leroy Ioas asked the Guardian what he could do to relieve him:

I can do much more work, he said, but I will have to have some help. I will have to have someone assist me with all the land matters and the construction work. I can do more, Shoghi Effendi, and that will give you some relief.

The Guardian turned to him and said with tears in his eyes:

Only God can give me relief.

This was shortly before the Guardian left for Europe in 1957. His last words to Leroy Ioas were that he was “very very proud” of the work he was doing. To Hand of the Cause Amelia Collins, the Guardian spoke words he had said to her before: “Don't be sad, Milly, don't be sad.”

An artistically faded map to indicate that Shoghi Effendi is currently working on his cherished map of the halfway point of the Ten Year Crusade which he will finish two days before his passing. The full image of the map will be available in that section, dated 2 November 1957. Source: Progress Bahá'í World Crusade 1953-1958, map by Shoghi Effendi, available on Bahá'í Library Online.

About two months before he passed away, Shoghi Effendi caught a cold, and had a fever the first night.

The second night, the fever was gone, but it was understood—perhaps by Rúḥíyyih Khánum more than by Shoghi Effendi—that he would remain in bed and rest.

But the Guardian decided to spend that day working on his last great map of the Ten Year Crusade which he named The Half-Way Point of the Ten-Year Crusade.

On this utterly thrilling map, the Guardian would create a massive infographic of the progress accomplished, the victories won, the territories settled, the countries and islands opened to the Faith. For two months, the Guardian worked a great deal on this map, updating it with new information as it came. He would work on it right up until two days before his passing.

That day in September 1957, the Guardian worked on his map for 10 hours straight.

Passing 08
Shoghi Effendi is in perfect health. A tribute to the mountaineer in Shoghi Effendi, a photograph of men and women climbing Glacier in Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington by Curtis & Miller between 1911 and 1920. Source: Library of Congress.

For the past 10 years since 1947, the Guardian had been under the care of an excellent doctor who saw him at least twice a year.

Shoghi Effendi had even consented to special treatments aimed at improving his general health, and also targeted to reduce his blood pressure.

The doctor often urged Shoghi Effendi not to overdo things when he returned to Haifa, to get more exercise, and especially more rest.

About six weeks before the Guardian passed away, he was examined by this personal doctor, who commented on Shoghi Effendi’s excellent health when he examined him several weeks before his passing.

His doctor found Shoghi Effendi’s blood-pressure lower than it had been in years.

One of Shoghi Effendi’s favourite places: Interlaken and the Jungfrau— one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps—a photograph taken between 1860 and 1890. Source: Library of Congress.

By 1957, there was a surge of activity in the Administrative Order of the Faith worldwide, Bahá'í Institutions functioning at full capacity on all five continents, and, although his driving power never left him, and he never decreased his long hours of work until the day he died, Rúḥíyyih Khánum could feel that Shoghi Effendi was very deeply tired, but throughout the summer, he was in excellent health.

During the last summer of his life in 1957, Shoghi Effendi left Haifa for the last time in his life, taking his beloved Ruḥíyyíh Khánum back to all of his favorite places in Switzerland, the mountain retreats, which he had loved for over three decades.

Looking back on her last grand tour with the Guardian, Rúḥíyyih Khánum said:

That last summer he went back to visit many of his favorite scenes in the mountains and I wondered about this too, when the blow fell, but at the time I was only happy to see him happy, forgetting, for a few fleeting moments, the burdens and sorrows of his life.

The only trace of a cable we have for Shoghi Effendi during his last summer in Messages to the Bahá’í World: 1950–1957, is one bearing wonderful news, the partial accomplishment of one of the objectives of the Ten Year Crusade—the re-interment of the remains of Bahá'u'lláh’s father—dated 17 July 1957 when the Guardian was in Switzerland, and it reads:

Inform Hands and national assemblies of transfer of remains of Mírzá Buzurg, marking attainment of yet another outstanding objective of the Crusade.

Advise avoid publicity.

A July 1957 photograph of Trafalgar Square looking down Duncannon Street towards Charring Cross railway station with St Martin-in-the-Fields church on the left and South Africa House on the right, four months before Shoghi Effendi and Rúḥíyyih Khánum arrive in the city. Photograph by Alfred Teske. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

On October 20th, 1957, Shoghi Effendi arrived in London, accompanied by Rúḥíyyih Khánum after their trip to mainland Europe that summer.

They were in London because the Guardian wished to make final purchases for the furnishing of the interior of the International Bahá'í Archives before returning to Haifa.

The reason the Guardian chose London was because at the time, it was an international center for its bustling and diverse range of shops with their treasure trove of vintage and antique ornaments, unmatched in the entire world.

London was where Shoghi Effendi would purchase the most unforgettable objects in the International Bahá'í Archives, such as its Chinese and Japanese lacquer cabinets, and from where, for decades, he had ordered marble ornaments for his beloved gardens.

The Guardian’s plan was to stay in London for a few days to make the final purchases of his summer, then return to the Holy Land.

The Guardian was eager to return to Haifa and transfer the priceless, precious relics from the six rooms where they were stored into their new, permanent, and befitting home.

But then, both he and Rúḥíyyih Khánum caught the Asian flu.

In late 1956 or early 1957, the first cases of a new influenza A virus subtype H2N2 broke out. By the middle of March, the Asiatic flu had spread all over China. On 17 April 1957, The Times reported it had spread to Hong Kong and infected thousands, and by the end of the month, 680 people had died in Singapore, in mid-May 1957.

The virus was spreading west fast. By the end of May 1957, the outbreak had spread across Mainland Southeast Asia to Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, and in Taiwan, 100,000 had caught it. India suffered a million cases by June 1957, and later that month, the Asiatic flu reached the United Kingdom.

The Asiatic influenza of 1957 – 1958 is estimated to have killed between 1 and 4 million people worldwide, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in history. An estimated 33,000 deaths in the United Kingdom were attributed to the flu outbreak. The number of deaths in the United Kingdom peaked the week ending 17 October, with 600 reported in England and Wales.

“I feel so tired, so tired.” Background image: The neighborhood of Hampstead Rosslyn Hill in 1957, by Ben Brooksbank. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Starting on Thursday 24 October 1957, just 4 days after their arrival in London, Rúḥíyyih Khánum started having fevers, and was confined to bed.

Three days later, on Sunday afternoon, 27 October 1957, just a week after their arrival, Shoghi Effendi told Rúḥíyyih Khánum that he felt pain across the knuckles of both of his hands.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum asked Shoghi Effendi if he had any other pains, and he said no, just his fingers, which were stiff and caused him pain, adding:

I feel so tired, so tired.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum begged the Guardian to rest, and that, if he did not want to stay in bed, he should still try to rest quietly, because it was probably he was catching the Asian flu.

The Guardian began exhibiting symptoms of the Asian flu just 9 days after the height of the pandemic in England, in mid-October 1957.

By Monday 28 October 1957, the Guardian had a fever of 39 degrees Celsius, and Rúḥíyyih Khánum successfully located an excellent doctor on Harley Street.

He immediately prescribed medication for the Guardian. That evening, after work, the doctor returned and examined Shoghi Effendi very carefully. He listened to his heart and chest, took his temperature and pulse and diagnosed that both Shoghi Effendi and Rúḥíyyih Khánum had contracted the Asian flu.

The Guardian’s case was more severe, but still, both he and Rúḥíyyih Khánum worked through their illnesses.

A 1920s photograph of the House of ‘Abbúd, where Ásíyih Khánum, also known as Navváb, passed away in 1886. Her sudden passing caused Bahá'u'lláh to lose his appetite, the same condition Shoghi Effendi now finds himself in. Source: Bahá'í Media Bank, © Bahá'í International Community 2023.

For several weeks before and the week of his illness, the Guardian lost his appetite.

Several times, he told Rúḥíyyih Khánum:

I don't know what has happened to me.

I have completely lost my appetite.

I don't eat for twenty-four hours, but I still have absolutely no appetite whatever.

It is now weeks that I have been like this.

The same thing is happening to me that happened to Bahá'u'lláh when He lost His appetite after the death of Navváb.

“Do you realize that we have done nothing but work this week?” This picture shows us the interior of the receiving and dispatching room of the submarine cables at the Central Telegraph Office between 1897 and 1899. A nod to both how hard Shoghi Effendi and Rúḥíyyih Khánum have been working but also the type of work they have been doing, much of which was letter, cable and telegram-related. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

By Tuesday 29 October 1957, Rúḥíyyih Khánum had contracted bronchitis, a usual side effect of influenza—and the Asian flu of 1957—which causes coughing due to an inflammation of the airways of the lungs.

Still, the doctor felt that Rúḥíyyih Khánum had recovered enough to allow her to go run an important errand.

The doctor first examined the Guardian, then checked on Rúḥíyyih Khánum, then updated her on the Guardian’s condition, which allowed Rúḥíyyih Khánum to find out exactly how well the doctor felt he was progressing. Shoghi Effendi still had a very high temperature.

That day, they received a lot of mail, but because he had a fever, Rúḥíyyih Khánum persuaded the Guardian not to deal with the mail that day.

In the morning of Wednesday 30 October, the Guardian called for his mail and insisted on going over it personally, as he had always done, and he answered a large number of cables.

Shoghi Effendi and Rúḥíyyih Khánum worked all week, until the Guardian told her, towards the end of it:

Do you realize that we have done nothing but work this week?

“He was smiling tonight.” Background photo by Shyam on Unsplash.

Shoghi Effendi was anxious to leave London and return to Haifa.

But he was under the care of an excellent and meticulous doctor, and he told Shoghi Effendi frankly that if he did intend to leave London, he was free to call for another physician, because as long as he was the primary care doctor, he refused to give his consent to let Shoghi Effendi leave England until a week after his fever had fallen.

The doctor took a great liking to Shoghi Effendi and took great care of him.

He came every day—usually staying for half an hour—and would sit with the Guardian, examining him thoroughly, and they would talk together.

One of these evenings, the doctor stayed an entire hour.

Every time the doctor came, he found Shoghi Effendi sitting in bed and reading, surrounded by papers, his briefcase by his side, and one day, he asked Rúḥíyyih Khánum privately what was the Guardian’s work? Rúḥíyyih Khánum replied that Shoghi Effendi was a religious leader and had many responsibilities.

The doctor had—as most people did—been charmed by the Guardian’s magnetic and lovable personality, and one night, before leaving, he turned to Rúḥíyyih Khánum and told her:

He was smiling tonight.

The doctor told the Guardian that on Friday 1 November, he was allowed to get up and sit in his armchair, for two reasons: a change from Shoghi Effendi’s sitting up in bed, and also in order to get his strength back.

But Shoghi Effendi preferred to work sitting in bed, and resting now and then.

In another heartbreaking fact that made his death so sudden and shocking, throughout the length of his illness, the Guardian had been well enough—even when he had a fever—to get up from bed every single day, in order to bathe, or get papers from his desk. At no time during his flu was the Guardian in any way incapacitated, but it had left him weak and with almost no appetite.

There was absolutely no indication that he would die in the next 3 days.

None whatsoever.

Shoghi Effendi’s beloved map is finally finished. Source: Progress Bahá'í World Crusade 1953-1958, map by Shoghi Effendi, available on Bahá'í Library Online.

On Saturday morning 2 November, the Guardian told Rúḥíyyih Khánum that he wanted a large table placed in his room, big enough so that he could lay on it his final masterpiece of a map, The Half-Way Point of the Ten-Year Crusade, showing the progress of the Ten Year Crusade at its midway point, five years into it with five more years to go, in 1958.

In an act of the strangest coincidence, both the first day the Guardian had worked on his great map in September 1957, and the last day he ever worked on it—on 2 November 1957—he worked while he was ill and recovering. Rúḥíyyih Khánum remarked:

…indeed it seems a strange coincidence that the first time and the last time he worked on it should both have been occasions on which he was ill, symbolic of the great sacrifice of his life and strength that went into the conception and prosecution of the World Crusade.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum had two small mahogany tables drawn together to create the large surface area the Guardian needed, and on Saturday 2 November the Guardian worked on his beloved map for the last time. He told Rúḥíyyih Khánum that he wanted her to check over carefully with him the data. The Guardian said that, apart from adding a few extra details, and corroborating what was on the map with his various lists, the work was finished.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum protested with the Guardian, and begged him not to work. She said that in a few days he would be stronger, and he could finish his map hen. The Guardian replied:

No, I must finish it; it is worrying me. There is nothing left to do but check it. I have one or two names to add that I have found in this mail, and I will finish it to-day.

In the early afternoon of Saturday 2 November, the Guardian stood in front of the large table and worked on his map for 3 hours. The table was covered with scattered pencils, a penknife, an eraser, rulers and a compass and the Guardian’s enormous statistical booklet of languages, tribes, countries, Temples, Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, work completed, ongoing work, completed works. The booklet had doubled in size since the last time he had worked on a map in 1952.

The map was now complete.

“Who is going to go back and do all these things? I have no strength left. I am like a broken reed. I can't do anything more. I have no spirit left to do anything more.” Background photo by Xuan Nguyen on Unsplash.

After working on his map for 3 hours that afternoon, the Guardian looked tired. He returned to bed, and sitting up, continued reading the many reports he had received. He ate only a mouthful at lunch and refused dinner. The Guardian was very, very sad and depressed when speaking to Rúḥíyyih Khánum about his winter plans in the Holy Land that evening, saying:

Who is going to go back and do all these things? I have no strength left. I am like a broken reed. I can't do anything more. I have no spirit left to do anything more. Now we will be going back—who is going to go up that mountain and make all those plans and stand for hours and supervise the work? I can't do it. And I am not going to do anything about the houses in Bahjí. Let them stay like that until I see how I feel. And I am not going to furnish the inside of the Archives this winter. It can wait another year, until everything that is needed to furnish it is collected. I shall just see the pilgrims and stay in my room and rest and do the few things that I have to do. I am not even going to take the telegrams back from Jessie and make copies of them and keep all the receipts the way I have done all these years. She did this in the summer, she can go on doing it in the winter. I am too tired.

The Guardian went on speaking like this for a long time on the evening of 2 November.

The plans the Guardian was discussing with Rúḥíyyih Khánum were plans he had made several months before and enthusiastically discussed with her many times over the last few months. They included working in the gardens above the International Bahá'í Archives, furnishing the Archives, personally overseeing the demolition of the last remaining Covenant-breakers’ house at Bahjí, using that rubble to extend the gardens around the Ḥaram-i-Aqdas.

It was not the first time that Rúḥíyyih Khánum had heard the Guardian speak words infused with hopelessness, sadness, and depression, but that evening, he spoke to her with far greater intensity, and in much more specific detail than she had ever heard him speak before.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum was deeply distressed.

“I like him very much. He is a fine man, and a good doctor.” Cropped image from a The Doctor (1891), an oil on canvas painting by Luke Fildes, showing a caring physician looking over his ill patient, a young girl, with a worried parent looking on. Painting was cropped to focus on the good doctor. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

That evening, when the doctor made his house call, he was satisfied with the progress in the Guardian’s. health and said Shoghi Effendi could certainly leave England on Tuesday morning, 5 November. He also told Shoghi Effendi he could go out and get some fresh air if he wanted. They spoke together for a while, discussing the news on the radio that day that announced 200 people had died of the Asiatic Flu.

When the doctor left that night, after staying quite a while, the Guardian had said he didn’t need to come the next day, Sunday, which was the doctor’s day of rest. After he left, the Guardian said:

I like him very much. He is a fine man, and a good doctor.

That evening, Rúḥíyyih Khánum did not sleep well. She lay awake for hours, unable to go back to sleep. She had no inkling or premonition of what was about to happen, but her heart was heavy and sad, no doubt at the Guardian’s immense emotional pain, which she had witnessed that night.

A letter or postscript to a letter in Shoghi Effendi’s own handwriting. Source: The Bahá'í Faith: The official website of the worldwide Bahá'í community: Shoghi Effendi – The Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith: Guidance and Translations.

On Sunday 3 November 1957, the Guardian added his usual postscripts to the letters which Rúḥíyyih Khánum had written, he looked over some of his other matters, dictated instructions for Rúḥíyyih Khánum to mail, and told her to write two additional letters that afternoon.

The Guardian remained in his room, reading his papers in bed or attending to matters at his desk. He read the letters that Rúḥíyyih Khánum had typed and added a postscript to one of the letters. In one of the reports he was reading, the Guardian read something that caused him intense indignation, and he spoke to Rúḥíyyih Khánum about it.

This latest upset just added to his concerns. He had told Rúḥíyyih Khánum several times over the last few days about news regarding recent Covenant-breakers, and he was always deeply distressed by Covenant-breaking.

Although they had agreed there was no need for the doctor to visit that day, he still called to ask about Shoghi Effendi’s health. Rúḥíyyih Khánum answered the phone, standing beside Shoghi Effendi’s bed.

The doctor said he was willing to come if he was needed, but Rúḥíyyih Khánum conveyed a message from Shoghi Effendi saying that he felt better, and that there was no need for him to come. They then agreed that the doctor would make his last call to Shoghi Effendi the following afternoon, Monday 4 November 1957.

“Stay a little while longer and talk.” Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Ruḥíyyíh Khánum representing the Guardian at 1953 Wilmette Intercontinental Teaching Conference. Source: Bahaimedia.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum sat in the Guardian’s room and they talked for a while about everyday things, then, at 9:30 PM, she asked Shoghi Effendi if he wanted to go to sleep, as she was sure he was tired. Shoghi Effendi asked her:

What time is it?

Nine-thirty.

Then Shoghi Effendi said:

It is too early to go to sleep now; if I go to sleep now I shall wake up early and then I won't be able to go to sleep again. Stay a little while longer and talk.

Thirty minutes later, at around 10:00 PM, Rúḥíyyih Khánum asked him if he wanted to go to sleep now, and the Guardian answered yes. Rúḥíyyih Khánum did a few last things to make him comfortable, and after saying goodnight, she asked the Guardian to be sure and call her in the night if he needed anything.

For the second night in a row, Rúḥíyyih Khánum suffered insomnia that night. Her heart still heavy.

“They say such deaths are reserved for the just.” Background Photo by Hà Nguyễn on Unsplash.

On the morning of Monday, 4 November 1957, Rúḥíyyih Khánum went to the door of the Guardian’s room, knocked gently, and, when she received no answer, entered the room.

The curtains were drawn over the windows and the room was in twilight.

She saw the beloved Guardian lying on his left side facing her, with his left hand folded over towards his right shoulder and his right arm over his left one, looking relaxed and comfortable. His eyes were three-quarters open and she thought he was drowsy—in that state when people wake up and lie comfortably beginning to think of their day's work.

She asked him how he had slept, and if he felt better.

When he neither moved nor replied, and he seemed unnaturally still, Rúḥíyyih Khánum felt a wave of agonizing terror sweep over her.

She leaned over him and seized his hand.

The Guardian was ice-cold and absolutely rigid.

The Guardian had passed away hours ago, in the middle of the night, gently and serenely.

Within two minutes of discovering Shoghi Effendi had passed away, she had called his doctor at the hospital and begged him to come immediately in case there was still something to be done. The doctor arrived soon after. In order to appease Rúḥíyyih Khánum, the doctor gave the Guardian some injections and massaged his heart, but it was of no use. A second physician arrived and confirmed death.

The Guardian had completely recovered from the Asiatic flu. His cause of death had been coronary thrombosis— a blood clot in the blood vessels or arteries of the heart that causes an immediate heart attack. Nothing in the world could have saved the Guardian's life, not if the world’s best doctors had been standing right by him.

The Guardian had died in an instant, of a gentle and dignified death, like Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá before him. Rúḥíyyih Khánum confirmed his gentle passing:

His eyes bore no look of surprise, although they were open. They say such deaths are reserved for the just.

Striking similarities in the gentle and dignified deaths of Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and their great-grandson and grandson, Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith. Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh from Bahá'í Media Bank, © Bahá'í International Community 2023. Design concept for the future Shrine of 'Abdu'l-Bahá from Bahá'í Media Bank, © Bahá'í International Community 2023. Monument at the resting place of Shoghi Effendi from Bahá'í Media Bank, © Bahá'í International Community 2023.

On Saturday 29 May 1892, at 3:00 AM, Bahá'u'lláh gently passed away, 8 hours after sunset, at the age of 75, in His own bed in the Mansion of Bahjí, with no sign of the fever that had troubled him for 3 weeks. His Spirit had winged its way to the next world.

29 years later, on Monday 28 November 1921, 'Abdu'l-Bahá awoke at 1:15 AM, rose from bed, walked across His room to a table, drank a glass of water, returned to bed after saying He was too warm, drank a little bit of rose water, sweetly chided his daughters for asking Him if He wanted to eat, closed his eyes, and passed away less than a minute later. 'Abdu'l-Bahá’s face was so serene, so peaceful, so calm, His daughters did not even realize He had passed away. 'Abdu'l-Bahá too, like His father, was afforded a dignified Ascension.

And on 4 November 1957—65 years after Bahá'u'lláh and 36 years after 'Abdu'l-Bahá—Shoghi Effendi too, passed away in a painless, peaceful, calm, and dignified way. And like Great-grandfather and his Grandfather, the Guardian died in the middle of the night.

Apart from Amatu’l-Bahá Ruḥíyyíh Khánum and Leroy Ioas, the other three Hands of the Cause mentioned in the story below are present in this photograph. From left to right: Hands of the Cause Jalál Kháḍih, Enoch Olinga, Dhikru’lláh Khadem, Adelbert Mühlschlegel, Ḥasan Balyúzí, John Ferraby, John Robarts, Hermann Grossmann, and Ugo Giachery. Hand of the Cause Amelia Collins is in the center. Source: Bahaimedia.

Half-mad with grief upon so suddenly losing her beloved husband and Guardian, Rúḥíyyih Khánum needed to think of a way of conveying this devastating and agonizing news to the Bahá'í world.

There were two newly-appointed British Hands of the Cause, and she turned first to Hand of the Cause Ḥasan Balyúzí, who was at her side within the hour. Ḥasan Balyúzí then contacted Hand of the Cause John Ferraby, enjoining him to silence and instructing him to come quickly.

During the day, Rúḥíyyih Khánum sent a cable to Haifa informing them of the text to send in the cable to all 28 National Spiritual Assemblies.

This was the first cable which was sent to the Bahá'í world and it was intended to gradually, gently prepare the hearts of the most vulnerable of the Guardian's lovers, the sick, the elderly, and the feeble, to receive the full news of his passing:

Beloved Guardian desperately ill Asiatic flu tell Leroy inform all National Assemblies inform believers supplicate prayers divine protection Faith.

When Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery received the call at 2 PM, Rúḥíyyih Khánum told him:

The Guardian is dead!

Two hours later, Ugo Giachery caught the next plane from Rome to London and arrived at 8 PM on the same day as the Guardian had passed away, bringing with him a vial of attar of rose which the Guardian himself had once given him.

The Guardian’s home and office at 7, Haparsim, the House of the Master, safeguarded by the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land immediately upon hearing of the passing of the Guardian. Original color photograph from Bahá'í Media Bank, © Bahá'í International Community 2023.

The 18 Hands of the Cause present in London, despite their shock and grief, made a decision to hold a plenary meeting of all the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land. This would later be known as the first conclave.

On 4 November 1957, Rúḥíyyih Khánum called Leroy Ioas and informed him of the passing of Shoghi Effendi, and Leroy Ioas fell to the ground from the shock, immediately getting back up.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum and Leroy Ioas decided that Leroy Ioas would secure the Guardian’s home and office, and inform the authorities about the Guardian’s passing.

Leroy Ioas, Sylvia Ioas, Ethel Revell, and Jessie Revell—four members of the International Bahá'í Council—could not enter the Guardian’s apartment or office, as he had locked them himself so they sealed them off with padlocked iron bars, and placed the keys to the padlocks in a signed and sealed envelope with their statements.

Leroy Ioas arranged for two trusted Bahá'ís to sleep in front of the Guardian’s apartment and office, and at the foot of the staircase so that no one could gain access to the area.

Leroy Ioas also took precautions to safeguard the Holy Places.

Several additional Bahá'ís were stationed at the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, the Mansion of Bahjí, and the Shrine of the Báb to ensure no one would enter, and all three Holy Places were guarded day and night, with one Bahá'í sleeping inside each Holy Place every night.

“The only Bahá’í we had in the world had died.” Photo by Karina Vorozheeva on Unsplash

Rúḥíyyih Khánum had made the decision to inform the Bahá'í world gradually about the Guardian’s passing, a news she herself had endured the full blow of, along with the three Hands of the Cause at her side: Ḥasan Balyúzí, John Ferraby and Ugo Giachery. In her great kindness, she did not want to unleash that cataclysm on the Bahá'ís of the world in a single cable.

Her first cable had prepared them. Then, she sent a second cable to Haifa asking it be sent to all National Spiritual Assemblies. Rúḥíyyih Khánum felt the announcement of the Guardian’s death should come from the World Center of the Faith:

Shoghi Effendi beloved of all hearts sacred trust given believers by Master passed away sudden heart attack in sleep following Asiatic flu stop urge believers remain steadfast cling Institution Hands lovingly reared recently reinforced emphasized by beloved Guardian stop only oneness heart oneness purpose can befittingly testify loyalty all National Assemblies believers departed Guardian who sacrificed self utterly for service faith. Rúḥíyyih.

On the first day of the All-India Teaching Conference, in October 1964, Rúḥíyyih Khánum told the assembled Bahá'ís exactly what her reaction had been after the passing of the Guardian:

When our beloved Shoghi Effendi died in 1957, I said that the only Bahá’í we had in the world had died.

An aerial photograph of London, showing the vastness of the city, and the arduousness of the task of finding a befitting resting place for the Guardian. Photogrpah by Marek Ślusarczyk (Tupungato) on www.microstock.pl. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum gave the undertaker in charge of the Guardian’s precious remains explicit instructions that no injections of any kind should be made to the Guardian’s body, ensuring he understood that embalming was prohibited for Bahá'ís. Rúḥíyyih Khánum additionally explained to him that only a Bahá'í was allowed to wash the Guardian’s body, and that she would arrange the ceremony herself.

The Hands of the Cause wanted to transfer the Guardian’s remains to the National Bahá'í Center in order to attend to all the funeral matters in the most efficient way possible, but London was so vast they found they could not do this, as it would have made it impossible to find a burial ground at less than an hour’s distance—an essential requirement of Bahá'í burial—within the center of London.

That day, Rúḥíyyih Khánum called Hand of the Cause Adelbert Mühlschlegel in Stuttgart, having decided that he, as a physician, as a Hand of the Cause, and a man known for his spirituality, would be the perfect person to perform the honor of washing the Guardian’s body and preparing him for the funeral. Rúḥíyyih Khánum was sure he was the right person, the one who would do the honors on such a sacred occasion in a spirit of consecration and prayer.

Dr. Mühlschlegel accepted immediately and he and Hand of the Cause Hermann Grossmann flew from Germany to London, arriving at the National Bahá'í Center that very evening.

The Hands of the Cause wished to inter the Guardian on Friday 8 November, but chose Saturday 9 November instead, in order to have an additional business day to accomplish everything they needed to do before the funeral, which included not only purchasing a piece of land for the resting place for the Guardian but also constructing a suitable vault.

“Beloved all hearts precious Guardian Cause God passed peacefully away yesterday after Asiatic flu” Background photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash.

On the same, very busy day of Tuesday 5 November 1957, the Guardian’s funeral was announced from London to all National Spiritual Assemblies inviting all Hands of the Cause, Auxiliary Board Members, and National Spiritual Assembly members to attend:

Beloved all hearts precious Guardian Cause God passed peacefully away yesterday after Asiatic flu stop appeal Hands National Assemblies Auxiliary Boards shelter believers assist meet heartrending supreme test stop funeral our beloved Guardian Saturday London Hands Assembly Board Members invited attend any press release should state meeting hands shortly Haifa will make arrangement to Bahá'í world regarding future plans stop urge hold memorial meetings Saturday. Rúḥíyyih.

New Southgate Cemetery—London’s Great Northern Cemetery at the time of the Guardian’s funeral, with a view on the chapel in which the funeral service of Shoghi Effendi took place. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The most urgent priority for Rúḥíyyih Khánum and the Hands of the Cause was to find a befitting burial place for the Guardian’s remains. They needed more than a grave. They needed a plot of land on which they could erect a monument, and this, at first, proved impossible.

Hand of the Cause John Ferraby met with the Home Office—the British Minister of the Interior—and was informed that British law prohibited the purchase of land near London for burials.

On that rainy afternoon, Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Ḥasan Balyúzí, and Ugo Giachery were taken out to inspect all possible sites for the Guardian’s grave in cemeteries within an hour's journey from London. They first visited a plot, but it was opposite the depressing vault of a member of the British nobility, too close to the main entrance of the cemetery, and prohibitively expensive. It was unbefitting and out of the question.

A few minutes before 4:30 PM, Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Ugo Giachery, and Ḥasan Balyúzí arrived at the second cemetery, the Great Northern Cemetery—now called New Southgate Cemetery—due north of the center of London. The Great Northern Cemetery was a 22-hectare cemetery in Brunswick Park in the London Borough of Barnet, and had been established by the Colney Hatch Company in the 1850s. It was known for a while as the Great Northern London Cemetery,

They found themselves in a beautiful, peaceful spot on a hill, surrounded by rolling country, where birds sang in the trees. The cemetery Superintendent, Mr. Stanley, escorted them to the best piece of land he had, 30 square meters in the very center and at the highest point of the cemetery. It adjoined one of the cemetery roads, and was bordered by great trees, casting their shade over the spot.

It was absolutely perfect. Rúḥíyyih Khánum made arrangements to purchase it immediately, and gave instructions to build a strong, deep vault on the plot.

Portrait of Basil Leverton, the funeral director, who was responsible for organizing the funeral of the Guardian. Photograph © Levertons funeral directors, all rights reserved, used with permission.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum and the Hands of the Cause left the Great Northern Cemetery and headed next, at dusk, to the office of Basil Leverton, the funeral director of Levertons Funeral Home, who was assisted in planning the Guardian’s funeral by Ivor Leverton, his brother and Keith Leverton, his nephew.

Basil Leverton helped Rúḥíyyih Khánum and the Hands of the Cause with the heartbreaking task of selecting a befitting casket for their beloved Guardian.

After a long consultation, they all agreed the Guardian should be buried in a dark, polished bronze casket, the most dignified, the most expensive and the most enduring they could find. This bronze casket would be lined with a sheeting of lead that would be hermetically soldered, so as to make it possible one day to transfer the Guardian’s remains to the Holy Land, at a point in the future when the journey could be reduced to less than an hour.

The Hands of the Cause decided to order a bronze plate to be placed on the upper lid of the casket, with an inscription, the text of which they would communicate to Basil Leverton the next day, on Wednesday.

Hand of the Cause Amelia Collins had arrived in Haifa on Sunday 3 November, in order to be there to greet the Guardian and Rúḥíyyih Khánum when they returned from London. Upon hearing of the Guardian’s passing on Monday, she left Haifa immediately and arrived in London on Tuesday night to be at Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s side. Amelia Collins, so dearly loved by Shoghi Effendi was able to give Rúḥíyyih Khánum much-needed motherly love and support.

Hand of the Cause Amelia Collins, had arrived in Haifa on Sunday 3 November to greet the Guardian after his summer holiday. She left two days later for London, bringing with her flowers from the Holy Threshold of the Shrine of the Báb. By the end of the night on Tuesday 5 November 1957, Amelia Collins, as well as every single European Hand of the Cause, were in London by at Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s side in her time of devastating loss.

From left to right: Hands of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Ruḥíyyíh Khánum, Ugo Giachery, and Ḥasan Balyúzí made the official declaration of the passing of Shoghi Effendi with the Leverton funeral home. All images Bahá'í Media Bank, © Bahá'í International Community 2023.

On Wednesday 6 November, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the British Isles communicated to all the believers in their country the heart-breaking news of the Guardian’s passing and invited them, as members of the community in which this great calamity had occurred, to be present at the funeral of the beloved Guardian, which was to take place on their soil.

The morning of 6 November, Rúḥíyyih Khánum and Amelia Collins went out to purchase two 9-yard shrouds of white silk cloth for the Guardian’s burial shrouds, and later, in the afternoon, they drove out to the Great Northern Cemetery and made arrangements with a florist in the neighborhood for the decoration of the Chapel and for the sheath of flowers which was to cover the casket.

In the afternoon, Rúḥíyyih Khánum, accompanied by Hands of the Cause Ugo Giachery, Ḥasan Balyúzí and Basil Leverton, the funeral director, made the official declaration of the passing of the Guardian and certificates of his death were issued immediately.

That night, the Iranian Hands of the Cause, Dhikru’lláh Khadem, Abu’l-Qásim Faizi arrived that evening, but were kept in because of Dhikru’lláh Khadem’s illness.

Because we are about to address the Bahá'í burial of the Guardian of the Cause of God and the Sign of God on Earth is important here to pause and make several notes on the very specific, very detailed requirements set forth by Bahá'u'lláh regarding Bahá'í burial.

Bahá'u'lláh speaks about the requirements of burial in 4 paragraphs of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. In paragraph 8 of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Bahá'u'lláh specifies on of the most important requirements for a Bahá'í burial: the recitation at the graveside of the obligatory Prayer for the Dead. This prayer, confirms Bahá'u'lláh in paragraph 12 of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, is the only congregational prayer in the entire body of the Bahá'í Holy Writings:

In the Prayer for the Dead six specific passages have been sent down by God, the Revealer of Verses. Let one who is able to read recite that which hath been revealed to precede these passages; and as for him who is unable, God hath relieved him of this requirement. He, of a truth, is the Mighty, the Pardoner.

In paragraph 128, Bahá'u'lláh enjoins two obligatory Bahá'í burial laws—the durability of the casket and the burial ring to be placed on the deceased’s body:

The Lord hath decreed that the dead should be interred in coffins made of crystal, of hard, resistant stone, or of wood that is both fine and durable, and that graven rings should be placed upon their fingers. He, verily, is the Supreme Ordainer, the One apprised of all.

In paragraph 129, Bahá'u'lláh specifically lays down which Holy verse should be inscribed on the burial rings of deceased Bahá'í men and women—the reason the verses for men and women are identical is because the Kitáb-i-Aqdas was originally revealed in Arabic, and there is a gender difference in this verse depending on if the deceased is a man or a woman; most Bahá'í burial rings are in Arabic, so the ring would be different whether it is destined for a woman or a man:

The inscription on these rings should read, for men: “Unto God belongeth all that is in the heavens and on the earth and whatsoever is between them, and He, in truth, hath knowledge of all things”; and for women: “Unto God belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is between them, and He, in truth, is potent over all things.”

In paragraph 130 of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Bahá'u'lláh addresses two fundamental laws of Bahá'í burial—that the body must be wrapped in five sheets of silk or cotton and that the body of the deceased not be transported more than an hour’s distance from the place of death:

The Lord hath decreed, moreover, that the deceased should be enfolded in five sheets of silk or cotton. For those whose means are limited a single sheet of either fabric will suffice. Thus hath it been ordained by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. It is forbidden you to transport the body of the deceased a greater distance than one hour’s journey from the city; rather should it be interred, with radiance and serenity, in a nearby place.

In a letter dated 7 July 1947 and addressed to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada, the Guardian clearly addresses the issue of cremation referring to 'Abdu'l-Bahá—an issue not explicitly referred to by Bahá'u'lláh in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas—with, at the end, a beautiful comment on the dignity of Bahá'u'lláh’s burial laws:

He feels that, in view of what ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said against cremation, the believers should be strongly urged, as an act of faith, to make provisions against their remains being cremated. Bahá’u’lláh has laid down as a law, in the Aqdas, the manner of Bahá’í burial, and it is so beautiful, befitting and dignified, that no believer should deprive himself of it.

In a letter dated 2 April 1955 and written to an individual Bahá'í, the Guardian himself stated categorically that Bahá'í bodies should be carefully washed and should not be embalmed, a provision not explicitly stated by Bahá'u'lláh in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, one of the most magnificent examples of interpretation of Bahá'u'lláh’s laws, indicated by the sentence of the Guardian “Under the Bahá’í teachings it seems clear that”:

Regarding the questions which you ask, concerning Bahá’í burials…, etc. At the present time, the Guardian is not stressing these matters, as their establishment might divert attention to the supreme tasks we have before us. However, the answers are as follows: Under the Bahá’í teachings it seems clear that the body is not to be embalmed. The burial should take place within an hour's travel time from the place of death. The preparation for the body for burial is a careful washing, and placing in a shroud of white cloth, silk preferably.

In summary, in order to bury the Guardian, Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Ruḥíyyíh Khánum and the other Hands of the Cause present needed to ensure that Basil Leverton, the funeral director, understood Bahá'í law:

• The Guardian’s body could not embalmed
• Funeral should take place at a cemetery less than an hour’s journey from where the remains of the Guardian were held
• A Bahá'í would conduct the preparation of the Guardian’s body for interment—washing, placing the ring, rapping in white silk
• Rúḥíyyih Khánum and the Hands of the Cause needed to ensure the following items for the Guardian’s funeral:
  • 5 sheets of white silk
  • A burial ring
  • A devotional program that included the Bahá'í Prayer for the Dead.

The next day, on Thursday 7 November 1957, Rúḥíyyih Khánum and Amelia Collins made the floral arrangements for the Chapel at the cemetery and for the floral blanket of roses, gardenias and lilies of the valley to be placed on the coffin while Ugo Giachery brought the silk shrouds to the National Bahá'í Center for Iranian women to prepare them for use in the Bahá'í burial ceremony later that afternoon.

At 2 PM, Rúḥíyyih Khánum and Hand of the Cause Adelbert Mühlschlegel drove to the place where the body of the blessed Guardian was to be washed.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum had already purchased 9 yards of the heaviest and finest white silk available and 9 yards of a slightly lighter weight for the first shroud, as well as towels, cloths, and soap for Adelbert Mühlschlegel to wash the Guardian’s body. Rúḥíyyih Khánum purchased a large piece of green velvet to be used on the raised platform, and this also was given to the Iranian ladies to sew and prepare for Saturday.

She gave everything except the heavier 9 yards of heavier white silk to Adelbert Mühlschlegel when they arrived and sat in the waiting room while Dr. Mühlschlegel washed the Guardian’s precious remains and wrapped them in the first shroud of lighter silk, anointing the body with attar of rose which the Guardian himself had given to Ugo Giachery, who had brought it from Italy with him.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum would wait for an hour and a half.

“there was a tremendous spiritual force” Background pohoto by Majid Rangraz on Unsplash.

It took Hand of the Cause Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel over an hour and a half to wash the Guardian’s body and prepare him for burial. Performing this sacred task was a life-changing, deeply spiritual experience for the Hand of the Cause and it made a lifelong impression on him. In a letter he wrote to Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Ruḥíyyíh Khánum after the Guardian’s funeral, he stated:

Something new happened to me in that hour that I cannot, even after a few days, speak of, but I can mention the wisdom and love that I felt pour over me. In that room—which to worldly eyes would have appeared so different—there was a tremendous spiritual force such as I have only felt in my life in the holy Shrines.

My first impression was the contrast between the body left behind and the majestic, transfigured face, a soul-stirring picture of the joyous victory of the eternal over the transient.

My second impression, as I prayed and thought and carefully did what I had to do, was that in this degree of consecration to the work of God I should work all my life, and mankind should work a thousand years, in order to construct “the Kingdom” on earth;

and my third thought was, as I washed each member of his body and anointed it, that I thanked those beloved hands which had worked and written to establish the Covenant, those feet that had walked for us, that mouth that had spoken to us, that head that had thought for us, and I prayed and meditated and supplicated that in the short time left to me, the members of my body might hasten to follow in his path of service;

and my last thought was of my own distress because I felt how unworthy my hands were to anoint that blessed brow with attar-of-rose as the Masters of old were wont to do to their pupils; and yet what privileges, what duties fall to us, the living, to watch over what is past and mortal, be it ever so exalted.

A great deal of mercy, love, and wisdom were hidden in this hour.

A verse from the Kitáb-i-Íqán: “God forbiddeth the ink to flow, Our pen to move, or the page to bear them.” Background photo by Simone Dalmeri on Unsplash.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum asked Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel to be alone with the beloved Guardian to say her own last farewell and, that moment belongs only to her and the Guardian. In Bahá'u'lláh’s immortal words:

God forbiddeth the ink to flow, Our pen to move, or the page to bear them.

Afterwards, Rúḥíyyih Khánum told the friends:

He was our Guardian, King of the world. We know he was noble because he was our Guardian. We know that God gave him peace in the end. But as I looked at him all I could think of was—how beautiful he is, how beautiful! A celestial beauty seemed to be poured over him and to rest on him and stream from him like a mighty benediction from on high. And the wonderful hands, so like the hands of Bahá'u'lláh, lay softly by his side; it seemed impossible the life had gone from them—or from that radiant face.

“closing away for all time from men's eyes the face on which the Bahá'ís had gazed with so much love” Background photo by ameenfahmy on Unsplash

After a little while, Rúḥíyyih Khánum called Adelbert Mühlschlegel back into the room. The lead casket, padded with soft white silk, was brought and Rúḥíyyih Khánum arranged the second shroud of 9 yards of heavy silk in it and the beloved Guardian was laid to rest inside, his entire, precious body shrouded with the exception of his beautiful, serene face.

Ugo Giachery, who had spent 10 years serving the Guardian faithfully, described his countenance as being luminous and authoritative, with an expression of holiness and a saintly glow.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum then spread over the Guardian’s blessed body the flowers from the threshold of the Shrine of the Báb which Amelia Collins had brought from Haifa, covering the Guardian from feet to chin in a sacred carpet of love and holiness, then folded the outer shroud over the. Guardian, in her words “closing away for all time from men's eyes the face on which the Bahá'ís had gazed with so much love.”

The Guardian’s casket was then closed, a cloth of purple and gold spread over it, and a bouquet of flowers Rúḥíyyih Khánum had brought with her was placed on top of it.

Entrance to the Great Northern London Cemetery in Barnet where the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith is buried. Source: The Bahá'í World Volume 13, page 215.

Throughout the day—the day before the Guardian’s funeral—in a room full of flowers, the various Hands of the Cause from Iran, Europe, Africa, and America kept vigil and prayed near the mortal remains of their beloved Guardian. On Friday evening, Rúḥíyyih Khánum and Amelia Collins drove out to the cemetery to inspect the Chapel and the grave.

The florist was following his instructions very carefully and making every effort to create an atmosphere of beauty worthy of this sacred occasion. In fact, everyone concerned with the death of and the funeral arrangements made for the Guardian—to them a stranger who had very suddenly passed away in their country—seemed deeply touched and stirred by what Rúḥíyyih Khánum calls “the great reverence and love that accompanied the still form of God's Great Guardian as he passed from life to the grave. They outdid themselves in showing sympathy and co-operation.”

At the four corners of the resting place of the Guardian, the florist had already planted four beautiful small cypress trees which Rúḥíyyih Khánum had ordered in memory of the hundreds of cypress trees that the beloved Guardian had planted, during his lifetime, around the Holy Places in Bahjí and Haifa.

Cypress trees also carry a connection to Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi. It was in a circle of 15 cypress saplings that Bahá'u'lláh indicated to the Master the place where He later built the Shrine of the Báb, a Shrine for which the Guardian himself later erected the superstructure.

At the top of the non-denominational Chapel was an arched alcove filled with a bank of chrysanthemums and asters, beginning with deep shades of purple and running up through violet, lavender and orchid tones to white at the top. Like two arms reaching out, garlands of lavender chrysanthemums ran along a cornice which framed the raised upper part of the Chapel. Above this, from wall to wall, was a beam of wood, in the centre of which a framed Greatest Name was hung.

Beneath this, in front of the alcove of flowers, the casket was to rest on a low raised platform covered by a rich green velvet cloth, the colour to which the descendants of Muhammad are entitled by their illustrious lineage. Being descended from the family of the Báb, the Guardian was himself a Siyyid, and the green cloth, to which he was entitled by birthright, was an acknowledgement of his kinship with the Báb.

Seating arrangements were made for the following day, placing the Hands of the Cause on the right and on the left side of the casket, facing it. 100 more chairs had to be ordered as the Chapel normally only seated about 80 people.

Eliahu Elath, the Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, Source: Wikimedia Commons. Gershon Avner, the Ambassador’s representative at the Guardian’s funeral. Mr. Avner was the only person in attendance not to be a Bahá'í. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

On Friday 8 November 1957, the Guardian’s sealed casket—with the affixed bronze plaque in the center of the lid—was delivered to the chapel of Basil Leverton’s funeral home, where it was banked with flowers, and Hands of the Cause took turn keeping vigil over the Guardian’s casket the entire day, never leaving the Guardian alone.

Final arrangements were made for Saturday’s funeral cortege, and the afternoon was spent in arranging transportation back to Haifa for all the Hands of the Cause, which would begin their First Conclave in 10 days. The Hands of the Cause upon consulting had decided to make the Guardian’s funeral a private one, due to the Bahá'ís’ deep grief, the short time available, and the restricted space at the Great Northern Cemetery Chapel.

The Israeli Government, however, made a spontaneous gesture of paying homage to the Guardian by sending their representative, Gershon Avner, to attend the Guardian’s funeral in place of the Israeli Ambassador, Eliahu Elath, absent from England at the time. Gershon Avner would be the only person to attend the Guardian’s funeral not to be a Bahá'í, and this fact was taken into consideration by the Hands of the Cause when choosing the readings.

As the Guardian’s double casket weight half a ton, the Hands of the Cause carefully chose special bearers to carry out their task with the utmost dignity.

In the evening of Friday 8 November, all the Hands of the Cause present met together: Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Mason Remey, Amelia Collins, Ugo Giachery, Paul Haney, William Sears, Adelbert Mühlschlegel, Hermann Grossmann, John Ferraby, Ḥasan Balyúzí, Abu’l-Qásim Faizi, and Shu’á’u’lláh ‘Alá’í, in order to meet to prepare the prayers and readings for the Guardian’s funeral the next day. They worked until very late into the night.

Bahá'ís standing in front of the Bahá'í National Center of the United Kingdom, at 27 Rutland Gate in London, on the day of the funeral of the Guardian, Saturday 9 November 1957. This photograph was taken by Arthur L. Dahl and is © Gregory C. Dahl from his historical photographic archive Bahá’í World Community: Historical Photos and Recordings. Source: Bahaimedia.

During the week prior to the Guardian’s funeral—from 4 to 9 November 1957—the National Bahá'í Center at 27, Rutland Gate in London was inundated by requests from agonizing, grieving Bahá'ís from around the world looking for information, asking for details, requesting directions to the cemetery, and more.

The telephone at the National Center rang uninterruptedly. Hand of the Cause John Ferraby, Secretary of the British National Spiritual Assembly, with the constant help of his wife Dorothy Cansdale, also a member of the National Spiritual Assembly were utterly deluged with work. They answered phone calls from Djakarta, Bombay, Kuwait, Israel, the United States and several European countries, responded to a ceaseless flow of cables and letters that poured in and out, wrote press releases and gave interviews.

It quickly became clear that the influx of Hands of the Cause, National Spiritual Assembly, Auxiliary Board Members, an enormous proportion of British Bahá'ís, as well as Bahá'ís from around the world were converging on London to attend the funeral of the Guardian, and most of the ones pouring in from overseas would arrive too late for the funeral. As Rúḥíyyih Khánum described it:

As the Bahá'ís arrived in ever-increasing numbers, a great flood-tide of love and sorrow was rising about the silent figure of the Sign of God on earth, preparing to bear his sacred remains befittingly to the grave.

The inmost Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, from where the precious items Leroy Ioas brings with him to London have come. Background border photo by McGill Library on Unsplash.

Hand of the Cause Leroy Ioas, Secretary-General of the International Bahá'í Council, had promptly and befittingly informed the Israeli authorities regarding the sudden and unexpected passing of the Head of the Bahá'í Faith.

After properly and thoroughly locking and sealing the Guardian’s rooms and office at the House of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Leroy Ioas left Haifa and arrived in London at 8:00 AM on the morning of the funeral.

Leroy Ioas brought two items which Rúḥíyyih Khánum had requested: a small rug from the innermost Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh at Bahjí, with which to carpet the floor of the vault, and a covering, which had also rested in the innermost Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, to cover the casket. Leroy Ioas also brought a bouquet of white jasmine—the Guardian’s favorite scent—and a box of flowers gathered from the Gardens at Bahjí, the Ridván Garden, Mazra'ih and the gardens on Mount Carmel.

Cars being boarded in front of the London Bahá'í Center, for Bahá'ís to attend funeral of the Guardian. This car is one of the 65 which formed the Guardian’s funeral cortege. This photograph was taken by Arthur L. Dahl and is © Gregory C. Dahl from his historical photographic archive: Bahá’í World Community: Historical Photos and Recordings. Source: Bahaimedia.

Arrangements had been made to have the funeral cortege assemble at 10:00 AM in front of the National Bahá'í Center at 27 Rutland Gate, opposite Hyde Park. Sixty-five cars, carrying over 360 Bahá'ís, left the National Center 40 minutes later in a solemn file, and met the hearse on the way in Hampstead near Avenue Road and Finchley Road.

At the very front of the funeral cortege was a floral hearse, followed by the hearse carrying the casket of the beloved Guardian, which was followed by the car of Rúḥíyyih Khánum and Amelia Collins. The other remaining Hands of the Cause, which included Músá Banání, Enoch Olinga, Dhikru’lláh Khadem, and Raḥmatu'lláh Muhájir, were behind this car, and behind them were, in order, National Spiritual Assembly members, Auxiliary Board members and believers.

It was probably the largest funeral cortege London had seen in many years.

The funeral cortege arrived at the Great Northern Cemetery at New Southgate, in less than an hour, and when they arrived, they found a large crowd of Bahá'ís already waiting at the door of the Chapel, each face bearing its own measure of grief, and many of them in tears.

The casket was gently handed down, on it a beautiful sheath of deep-red roses with fragrant white gardenias, lily of the valley and fuchsias, in the centre, and a simple card with a deeply tender inscription:

From Rúḥíyyih and all your loved ones and lovers all over the world whose hearts are broken.

Hearse arriving at the chapel, followed by the car of Amatu’l-Bahá Ruḥíyyíh Khánum, accompanied by Amelia Collins. Source: The Bahá'í World Volume 13, page 210.

The Guardian was carried in by 8 strong pall-bearers and laid on the soft green covering of the raised platform. The Guardian's casket was covered with a large blanket of red roses, gardenias and lilies of the valley—the Guardian’s favorite flower.

The casket containing the remains of the beloved Guardian is about to be removed from the hearse, with its trunk open, and carried into the chapel for the funeral service. Source: The Bahá'í World Volume 13, page 210.

On both sides of the platform in a raised area, were several rows of chairs. Rúḥíyyih Khánum sat on the right with Amelia Collins beside her, and behind them, in the second row were the Hands of the Cause and Gershon Avner, the representative of the Israeli Government.

Baba 'is enter the chapel for the funeral service. Source: The Bahá'í World Volume 13, page 211.

The Chapel was crowded to the doors, and many Bahá'ís had to stay outside and remain standing. Everyone stood while the Hand of the Cause Abu’l-Qásim Faizi chanted the Prayer for the Dead revealed by Bahá'u'lláh in Arabic with deep emotion.

One of the believers reading from the Sacred Writings. The coffin of Shoghi Effendi was placed in front of the bank of flowers shown on the right.. Source: The Bahá'í World Volume 13, page 212.

The devotional program consisted of 10 selections comprising 5 Arabic Hidden Words—2 in English and 3 in Arabic with one Hidden Word, number 32, being recited in English and also chanted in Arabic—2 prayers, 2 excerpts from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, and the first 2 paragraphs from the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. All the prayers and selections in English, Arabic and Persian were read or chanted by Betty Reed, Borrah Kavelin, Adib Taherzadeh, William Sears, Elsie Austin, Ian Semple and Enoch Olinga, all Bahá'ís with beautiful voices, and from every continent.

Selections 1 and 2: The Hidden Words from the Arabic, numbers 32 and 11

O SON OF THE SUPREME! I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendor. Why dost thou veil thyself therefrom?

O SON OF BEING! Thou art My lamp and My light is in thee. Get thou from it thy radiance and seek none other than Me. For I have created thee rich and have bountifully shed My favor upon thee.

Selection 3: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh CLXV

Death proffereth unto every confident believer the cup that is life indeed. It bestoweth joy, and is the bearer of gladness. It conferreth the gift of everlasting life. As to those that have tasted of the fruit of man’s earthly existence, which is the recognition of the one true God, exalted be His glory, their life hereafter is such as We are unable to describe. The knowledge thereof is with God, alone, the Lord of all worlds.

Selection 4: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, number CLXIII.

All praise be to God Who hath adorned the world with an ornament, and arrayed it with a vesture, of which it can be despoiled by no earthly power, however mighty its battalions, however vast its wealth, however profound its influence. Say: the essence of all power is God’s, the highest and the last End of all creation. The source of all majesty is God’s, the Object of the adoration of all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. Such forces as have their origin in this world of dust are, by their very nature, unworthy of consideration.

Say: The springs that sustain the life of these birds are not of this world. Their source is far above the reach and ken of human apprehension. Who is there that can put out the light which the snow-white Hand of God hath lit? Where is he to be found that hath the power to quench the fire which hath been kindled through the might of thy Lord, the All-Powerful, the All-Compelling, the Almighty?

…Say: The fierce gales and whirlwinds of the world and its peoples can never shake the foundation upon which the rocklike stability of My chosen ones is based.

Selections 5, 6, and 7: The Hidden Words from the Arabic (chanted in Arabic) numbers 12, 14, 32

O SON OF BEING! With the hands of power I made thee and with the fingers of strength I created thee; and within thee have I placed the essence of My light. Be thou content with it and seek naught else, for My work is perfect and My command is binding. Question it not, nor have a doubt thereof.

O SON OF MAN! Thou art My dominion and My dominion perisheth not; wherefore fearest thou thy perishing? Thou art My light and My light shall never be extinguished; why dost thou dread extinction? Thou art My glory and My glory fadeth not; thou art My robe and My robe shall never be outworn. Abide then in thy love for Me, that thou mayest find Me in the realm of glory.

O SON OF THE SUPREME! I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendor. Why dost thou veil thyself therefrom?

Selection 8: Prayers and Meditations, number CXLV

O God, my God! Be Thou not far from me, for tribulation upon tribulation hath gathered about me. O God, my God! Leave me not to myself, for the extreme of adversity hath come upon me. Out of the pure milk, drawn from the breasts of Thy loving-kindness, give me to drink, for my thirst hath utterly consumed me. Beneath the shadow of the wings of Thy mercy shelter me, for all mine adversaries with one consent have fallen upon me. Keep me near to the throne of Thy majesty, face to face with the revelation of the signs of Thy glory, for wretchedness hath grievously touched me. With the fruits of the Tree of Thine Eternity nourish me, for uttermost weakness hath overtaken me. From the cups of joy, proffered by the hands of Thy tender mercies, feed me, for manifold sorrows have laid mighty hold upon me. With the broidered robe of Thine omnipotent sovereignty attire me, for poverty hath altogether despoiled me. Lulled by the cooing of the Dove of Thine Eternity, suffer me to sleep, for woes at their blackest have befallen me. Before the throne of Thy oneness, amid the blaze of the beauty of Thy countenance, cause me to abide, for fear and trembling have violently crushed me. Beneath the ocean of Thy forgiveness, faced with the restlessness of the leviathan of glory, immerse me, for my sins have utterly doomed me.

Selection 9: Prayers and Meditations, number XCII

Glory to Thee, O my God! But for the tribulations which are sustained in Thy path, how could Thy true lovers be recognized; and were it not for the trials which are borne for love of Thee, how could the station of such as yearn for Thee be revealed? Thy might beareth me witness! The companions of all who adore Thee are the tears they shed, and the comforters of such as seek Thee are the groans they utter, and the food of them who haste to meet Thee is the fragments of their broken hearts.

How sweet to my taste is the bitterness of death suffered in Thy path, and how precious in my estimation are the shafts of Thine enemies when encountered for the sake of the exaltation of Thy word! Let me quaff in Thy Cause, O my God, whatsoever Thou didst desire, and send down upon me in Thy love all Thou didst ordain. By Thy glory! I wish only what Thou wishest, and cherish what Thou cherishest. In Thee have I, at all times, placed my whole trust and confidence.

Raise up, I implore Thee, O my God, as helpers to this Revelation such as shall be counted worthy of Thy name and of Thy sovereignty, that they may remember me among Thy creatures, and hoist the ensigns of Thy victory in Thy land.

Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. No God is there but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

Selection 10: The Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, first two paragraphs

All-praise to Him Who, by the Shield of His Covenant, hath guarded the Temple of His Cause from the darts of doubtfulness, Who by the Hosts of His Testament hath preserved the Sanctuary of His most Beneficent Law and protected His Straight and Luminous Path, staying thereby the onslaught of the company of Covenant-breakers, that have threatened to subvert His Divine Edifice; Who hath watched over His Mighty Stronghold and All-Glorious Faith, through the aid of men whom the slander of the slanderer affect not, whom no earthly calling, glory and power can turn aside from the Covenant of God and His Testament, established firmly by His clear and manifest words, writ and revealed by His All-Glorious Pen and recorded in the Preserved Tablet.

Salutation and praise, blessing and glory rest upon that primal branch of the Divine and Sacred Lote-Tree, grown out, blest, tender, verdant and flourishing from the Twin Holy Trees; the most wondrous, unique and priceless pearl that doth gleam from out the Twin surging seas; upon the offshoots of the Tree of Holiness, the twigs of the Celestial Tree, they that in the Day of the Great Dividing have stood fast and firm in the Covenant; upon the Hands (pillars) 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; upon them that have believed, rested assured, stood steadfast in His Covenant and followed the Light that after my passing shineth from the Dayspring of Divine Guidance—for behold! he is the blest and sacred bough that hath branched out from the Twin Holy Trees. Well is it with him that seeketh the shelter of his shade that shadoweth all mankind.

The coffin bearing the remains of the Guardian being carried out of the chapel to the gravesite, where it will be lowered into the vault. Source: The Bahá'í World Volume 13, page 214.

The Guardian’s casket was was carried out of the Chapel, placed into the hearse, and slowly driven the few hundred meters to the graveside, the Guardian’s resting place.

Stunned by their great loss, men, women and children follow the hearse to the grave. Source: The Bahá'í World Volume 13, page 219.

In a solemn file the friends followed the casket, where the casket containing his blessed remains was gently deposited at the head of the grave, and oriented so that the Guardian was facing the Qiblih—the Holiest place on earth for Bahá'ís, the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh.

The Grave of the Guardian, covered in beautiful flowers, shortly after funeral. This photograph was taken by Arthur L. Dahl and is © Gregory C. Dahl from his historical photographic archive: Bahá’í World Community: Historical Photos and Recordings. Source: Bahaimedia.

The graveside was covered with mats of green straw imitating grass and giving the illusion of spring. The grave was lined with cedar boughs, studded with flowers. When the flowers were removed from the casket, they revealed an engraved plaque on which was written:

Shoghi Effendi Rabbání
First Guardian
of the Bahá'í Faith

As everyone stood, silently, Rúḥíyyih Khánum felt the agony of the hearts around her penetrate into her own great grief, and recalling the event a month later, she wrote:

He was their Guardian. He was going forever from their eyes, suddenly snatched from them by the immutable decree of God, Whose Will no man dare question. They had not seen him, had not been able to draw near him.

Grief-stricken farewells take place as the Baha'is file past the casket of their beloved Guardian at the foot of his open grave. A man can be seen resting his head at the foot of the Guardian’s casket. Source: The Bahá'í World Volume 13, page 221.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum had made a decision that an announcement be made before the Guardian’s casket was lowered into the vault, that the Bahá'ís who wished to do so could pay their personal respects to their beloved Guardian by passing by the casket. Rúḥíyyih Khánum was a comfort to the grieving Bahá'ís, described by Marion Hofman as “a queen, a sister, a mother to those too much overcome, a tower of strength, the wife of our Guardian.”

For the most part, in a rare demonstration of love, grief, and reverence, the Bahá'ís knelt and kissed the edge or the handle of the casket. Children bowed their little heads beside their mothers, old men wept, and even the British—famous for their stoicism—melted as they said goodbye to their beloved Guardian. Rúḥíyyih Khánum describes how it seemed to her even nature wept over the Guardian:

The morning had been sunny and fair; now a gentle shower started and sprinkled a few drops on the casket, as if nature herself were suddenly moved to tears.

Under a sea of umbrellas, Bahá'ís paid their last respects to their Guardian. Some placed little gifts on the casket. Small flasks of attar of rose, a red rose, others with trailing fingers carried away some of the earth near the casket as a memento. The believers shed tears, placed kisses, swore solemn inner vows as they passed by the casket of the one who had called himself their “true brother” for 36 years.

By this time, the Guardian’s service that had lasted almost 4 hours, and Gershon Avner, the representative of the Israeli Government, was obviously deeply moved, as he himself, filed by the Guardian’s casket and paid his respects with a bowed head.

It took two hours until the last believers had paid their respects. Rúḥíyyih Khánum then herself approached the casket of her beloved husband and Guardian. She knelt by it and prayed for a moment, then had the green cloth spread over it, followed by the blue and gold brocade Leroy Ioas had brought from the innermost Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, and laid the jasmine flowers he had brought from the Holy Land, the Guardian’s favorite scent, over all the length of the brocade.

Embowered in flowers the beloved of so many faithful hearts is laid to rest.. Source: The Bahá'í World Volume 13, page 223.

Then the mortal remains of him whom 'Abdu'l-Bahá designated “the most wondrous, unique and priceless pearl that doth gleam from out the Twin Surging Seas” were slowly lowered into the vault, amid walls covered with evergreen boughs and studded with flowers, to rest upon the Persian carpet from the Holiest of Holies at Bahjí.

Baha'is gathered at the Guardian's grave during the funeral. This photograph was taken by Arthur L. Dahl and is © Gregory C. Dahl from his historical photographic archive: Bahá’í World Community: Historical Photos and Recordings. Source: Bahaimedia.

After the Guardian’s casket was lowered into his grave, a woman chanted an unplanned prayer in Persian, after which the final programmed resumed: two prayers were read: one of Shoghi Effendi’s own prayers in Persian chanted by ‘Alí Nakhjávání, followed by the last prayer in English ready by Hand of the Cause and member of the family of the Báb, Ḥasan Balyúzí.

Prayer by Shoghi Effendi chanted in Persian

The Guardian did not like his prayers in Persian translated into English, so it is a true honor to be able to share the English for this prayer, titled Dar ín layliy-i-laylá (In this darkest night), translated into English by Hand of the Cause Ḥasan Balyúzí.

He is God

O Mighty Lord! Thou seest what hath befallen Thy helpless lovers in this darkest of long nights; Thou knowest how, in all these years of separation from Thy Beauty, the confidants of Thy mysteries have ever been acquainted with burning grief.

O Powerful Master! Suffer not Thy wayfarers to be abased and brought low; succor this handful of feeble creatures with the potency of Thy might. Exalt Thy loved ones before the assemblage of man, and grant them strength. Allow those broken-winged beings to raise their heads and glory in the fulfilment of their hopes, that we in these brief days of life may gaze with our physical eyes on the elevation and exaltation of Thy Faith, and soar up to Thee with gladdened souls and blissful hearts.

Thou knowest that, since Thy ascension, we seek no name or fame, that in this swiftly passing world we wish henceforth no joy, no delight and no good fortune.

Then keep Thy word, and exhilarate once more the lives of these, Thy sick at heart. Bring light to our expectant eyes, balm to our stricken breasts. Lead Thou the caravans of the city of Thy love swiftly to their intended goal. Draw those who sorrow after Thee into the high court of reunion with Thee. For in this world below we ask for nothing but the triumph of Thy Cause. And within the precincts of Thy boundless mercy we hope for nothing but Thy presence.

Thou art the Witness, the Haven, the Refuge; Thou art He who rendereth victorious this band of the innocent.

Prayer in English

Glory be to Thee, O God, for Thy manifestation of love to mankind! O Thou Who art our Life and Light, guide Thy servants in Thy way, and make us rich in Thee and free from all save thee.

O God, teach us Thy Oneness and give us a realization of Thy Unity, that we may see no one save Thee. Thou art the merciful and the Giver of bounty!

O God, create in the hearts of Thy beloved the fire of Thy love, that it may consume the thought of everything save Thee.

Reveal to us, O God, Thine exalted eternity—that Thou hast ever been and will ever be, and that there is no God save Thee. Verily, in Thee will we find comfort and strength.

“a rich carpet of exquisite flowers, symbols of the love, the suffering, of so many hearts” Background photo by Cody Chan on Unsplash.

Finally, the Hands of the Cause and members of the National Spiritual Assemblies and Auxiliary Boards, gathered together and said many prayers in many languages, representing many countries in the world.

Hand of the Cause Ṭaráẓu'lláh Samandarí, the only remaining Hand of the Cause to have had the honor of entering into the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, placed orange and olive branches from the Garden of Riḍván, where Bahá'u'lláh had declared His mission 94 years ago.

Hand of the Cause Leroy Ioas had brought enough flowers from the Bahá'í gardens in the Holy Land for every person present to have something to offer the Guardian and place, for the last time, on his casket.

As Rúḥíyyih Khánum described the touching scene:

Over the tomb, at his feet, like a shield of crimson and white, lay the fragrant sheath of blooms which had covered his casket, and heaped about was a rich carpet of exquisite flowers, symbols of the love, the suffering, of so many hearts, and no doubt the silent bearers of vows to make the Spirit of the Guardian happy now, to fulfil his plans, carry on his work, be worthy at last of the love and inspired self-sacrificing leadership he gave them for thirty-six years of his life.

After the majority of the Bahá'ís had left the cemetery, the Hands of the Cause and the members of the National Spiritual Assemblies and the Auxiliary Boards stayed behind, as arranged, in order to see the vault of the Guardian’s resting place was properly and duly sealed.

Hand of the Cause Bill Sears and the American Bahá'ís remembering Shoghi Effendi on 2 May 1958, as he places a wreath on the resting place of the Guardian at the same time as the Intercontinental Conference opened in Chicago. Source: Bahaimedia.

On the day after the funeral, Sunday 10 November 1957. Rúḥíyyih Khánum sent a message to the grieving Bahá'í world informing them about the funeral and requesting believers to hold:

Beloved Guardian laid rest London according laws Aqdas in beautiful spot after impressive ceremony held presence multitude believers representing over twenty-five countries east and west. Doctors assure sudden passing involved no suffering blessed countenance bore expression infinite beauty peace majesty. Eighteen Hands assembled funeral urge National Bodies request all believers hold memorial meetings eighteenth November commemorating dayspring divine guidance who was left us after thirty-six years utter self-sacrifice ceaseless labours constant vigilance. Rúḥíyyih.

A color photograph of the grave of the Guardian for the day after the funeral, when Rúḥíyyih Khánum visits the cemetery and has the idea for the monument for Shoghi Effendi’s resting place. This photograph was taken by Arthur L. Dahl and is © Gregory C. Dahl from his historical photographic archive: Bahá’í World Community: Historical Photos and Recordings. Source: Bahaimedia.

The day after the Guardian’s funeral, Rúḥíyyih Khánum went to visit his grave with Hand of the Cause Amelia Collins.

There were only flowers on the Guardian’s resting place, but as Rúḥíyyih Khánum drove away, she saw, in her words:

…it was very strange because God knows I had no mind left or anything at that point, I saw before me in my mind's eye a column and a globe and an eagle and the steps underneath it…

Rúḥíyyih Khánum immediately drew a tiny little sketch of what she had envisioned in the car, and brought it back with her to Haifa to discuss with the First Conclave of Hands of the Cause.

Abstract illustration meant to illustrate a story about the sketched design of Hand of the Cause Rúḥíyyih Khánum. Made by Violetta Zein.

On the first day of the first Conclave of the Hands of the Cause on 18 November 1957, exactly 9 days after the Guardian’s funeral and 14 days after his passing, Rúḥíyyih Khánum presented the Hands of the Cause with the sketch for the design of the Guardian’s resting place she had drawn in the car on 10 November 1957, and showed it to the Hands of the Cause in the Mansion of Bahjí, saying:

This is what I feel we should build over the resting place of the Guardian.

The Hands of the Cause were happy with the design, and approved it, given the fact it was impossible at the time to imagine moving the Guardian’s body to the Holy Land. A monument would be built in London, at his resting place in the Great Northern Cemetery.

But now, Rúḥíyyih Khánum needed to find a model for the eagle and the column.

As Rúḥíyyih Khánum designs the monument above the resting place of Shoghi Effendi, she remembers the Japanese sculpture of a bronze eagle poised on a root in mid-flight which he purchased in Scotland in 1946 or 1947 in Scotland. The stunning photograph above of a masterful and life-size silvered bronze Okimono—a small decorative Japanese carving—eagle on a root wood base, although not the original sculpture owned by Shoghi Effendi, is the same type of sculpture. Source: © Kevin Page, Oriental Art, all rights reserved, used with permission. 

Shoghi Effendi often spoke about eagles, and how majestic they were. To Shoghi Effendi, eagles were a symbol of victory, the victory of the Faith, and that is why he began buying sculptures of eagles to place in the gardens at Bahjí and the Shrine of the Báb.

During their visit to Edinburgh in 1946 or 1947, Shoghi Effendi and Rúḥíyyih Khánum visited a very famous antique shop on Princes Street where they found a beautiful eagle, perched on a wooden cliff. Shoghi Effendi absolutely loved his eagle and he had it shipped to Haifa and placed near his bed in the room that served as his bedroom and office. Rúḥíyyih Khánum described this eagle in a talk she gave at the Bahá'í Center in Edinburg in 1981:

It was a Japanese eagle. Made in Japan, big thing like that. Very, very beautiful. And as you have seen from visiting his monument, it has one wing folded and one wing out, bringing an element of mystery to the sculpture as it is unclear if the eagle is landing or taking off.

Shoghi Effendi had always wanted a single column. Several monuments exist made of a single column, the most famous one being of course the Trajan column in Rome pictured here, a triumphal column commemorating Roman emperor Trajan's victory in the Dacian Wars. Photo by Olivier Giboulot on Unsplash.

Shoghi Effendi had always wanted a single column. Every time Shoghi Effendi and Rúḥíyyih Khánum traveled to Rome, where there are so many beautiful columns, the Guardian would look at them and say:

You know, I think these columns are so beautiful. Where can I put a column on Mount Carmel?

But Rúḥíyyih Khánum responded:

Shoghi Effendi. I don't think you can because you can't just stick a column up like that. You know? Where would you put it?

Rúḥíyyih Khánum described Shoghi Effendi’s beautiful reaction:

And he accepted that but he looked a little dubious about it, as much to say, “I still want my column.”

Shoghi Effendi didn't have a column and he wanted one. He would eventually have his column, in the most unexpected of ways.

Color photograph of the Guardian’s resting place. Source: The Bahá'í World Volume 13, Frontispiece.

Everything coalesced together after Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s design for the Guardian’s monument had been approved by the First Conclave of Hands of the Cause. She remembered the two stories above about the Guardian’s eagle and column, and suddenly thought:

Well, what about that eagle in [Shoghi Effendi’s] room?

Rúḥíyyih Khánum went upstairs and carried Shoghi Effendi’s eagle downstairs in her arms. To visualize what the eagle would look like atop a column, Hand of the Cause Abu’l-Qásim Faizi stood on something and held the eagle way above his head. Rúḥíyyih Khánum realized it looked absolutely perfect.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum took the eagle back from Hand of the Cause Abu’l-Qásim Faizi, and held it in her arms and personally escorted Shoghi Effendi’s precious beloved eagle to Rome. 

While she was in Italy, Rúḥíyyih Khánum met with Professor Rocca, the Italian marble architect who had helped the Guardian with erecting the superstructure of the Shrine of the Báb and the International Bahá'í Archives.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s design for the Guardian’s resting place was simple and impressive, sober, elegant, yet wildly original. It would have pleased Shoghi Effendi. During their consultation, Rúḥíyyih Khánum and Professor Rocca exchanged ideas and discussed technical and artistic details. A draft of the final project was drafted and approved.

Professor Rocca made the full scale design of the eagle intended for the Guardian’s resting place while Rúḥíyyih Khánum waited in Rome.

A quarry of Carrara statuary marble, the kind which was used for the column and capital of the Guardian’s monument. Photo by luca anasta on Unsplash.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum left the original eagle in Rome so they could enlarge the new eagle to the appropriate size. Ugo Giachery entrusted the Japanese eagle to a sculptor who enlarged it six times the size of the original, first in clay, and then in gypsum. The eagle was then cast in bronze, electroplated in silver, and taken to Florence for fire-gilding. It was Ugo Giachery who brought the original eagle back to Rúḥíyyih Khánum in Haifa.

The column was carved out of Carrara Statuary, the marble used to create the world’s greatest sculptures—like Michelangelo’s David. It is a bright white marble with less color variations than other types of Carrara marble, and dark grey veins. The column’s beautiful Corinthian capital was modeled after the Corinthian capitals on a 1,500-year old temple in Rome, inside the Santa Maria Rotonda church.

The marble work was completed within six months in Carrara, Italy, the marble capital of the world.

While the steps, column, and globe were being cut and sculpted in Italy, Rúḥíyyih Khánum traveled to England and purchased a large quantity of stone balustrade made from Dover white granite, with which to enclose the resting place of the Guardian. The balustrade Rúḥíyyih Khánum chose was of fine workmanship and similar to the wood balustrade on the upper floor of the International Bahá'í Archives.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum also purchased stone urns—similar to the ones with which the Guardian had decorated the gardens at Bahjí—for the corners of the enclosure, and a beautiful wrought-iron gate for the entrance to the sacred enclave.

A gorgeous closeup photograph of the stone balustrade which Rúḥíyyih Khánum ordered in England, the stone urns and the wrought iron gate. Photographs by Farzam Sabetian. Source: Luminous Spot: Shoghi Effendi Resting Place.

While the steps, column, and globe were being cut and sculpted in Italy, Rúḥíyyih Khánum traveled to England and purchased a large quantity of stone balustrade made from Dover white granite, with which to enclose the resting place of the Guardian. The balustrade Rúḥíyyih Khánum chose was of fine workmanship and similar to the wood balustrade on the upper floor of the International Bahá'í Archives.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum also purchased stone urns—similar to the ones with which the Guardian had decorated the gardens at Bahjí—for the corners of the enclosure, and a beautiful wrought-iron gate for the entrance to the sacred enclave.

The gilded eagle, poised on the continent of Africa, very clearly seen in this magnificent photograph. Photograph by Farzam Sabetian. Source: Luminous Spot: Shoghi Effendi Resting Place.

So I thought, what greater place to put the symbol of victory, than on top of Shoghi Effendi's column on top of the globe of the world with the continent of Africa facing out. Some Iranian Bahá'ís asked Rúḥíyyih Khánum:

But why Khánum Didn't you put Asia, the cradle of the Faith, you see? The place of all the martyrs…

In her characteristic directness, Rúḥíyyih Khánum answered, saying because Africa was the continent that brought joy to the heart of Shoghi Effendi before he died, and it deserved to be there because that was the place that made our beloved Guardian happy before he died, with news of the first mass conversions in Teso, Uganda. The continent of Africa had begun to show such promise at the end of the Guardian’s life, and caused him so much joy, that it was forever linked with him in the design of his resting place.

Resting place of Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, in New Southgate Cemetery in London, with the red brick path Shoghi Effendi so dearly loved, the white column he had always wanted, and his cherished Japanese eagle poised in mid-flight on his beloved Africa. Simplicity, beauty, originality, and all the things the Guardian loved so much. Photograph by Farzam Sabetian. Source: Luminous Spot: Shoghi Effendi Resting Place.

During the month of October 1958, 11 months after the Guardian's passing, Rúḥíyyih Khánum was in London supervising the erection and completion of the Guardian’s resting place. The Guardian finally had his beloved single column. It was made from the same dazzling white Carrara marble he had loved for decades, and, knowing how much the Guardian loved this capital order, Rúḥíyyih Khánum had ordered the column to be topped with a Corinthian capital. The monument itself was as simple as the Guardian would have wished it to be.

At the base of the monument was a low platform rising from the ground in three steps, in the centre of which stood the column with its beautiful and rare Corinthian capital. A globe of the same marble rested atop the column, with all the continents sculpted in low relief, and Africa most prominent. Perched on the globe was a golden eagle in mid-flight. Midway up the column was an inscription, the Guardian’s dates of birth and death, and a quote from the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.

Behold! He is the blest and sacred bough that hath branched out from the Twin Holy Trees. Well is it with him that seeketh the shelter of his shade that shadoweth all mankind.

The globe and the continent of Africa, the eagle and the inscription all face Bahjí.

The single marble column that Shoghi Effendi had so long wished for was surmounted by a globe, the map of Africa facing forward, and on this globe was a majestic gilded bronze eagle, the enlarged reproduction of the Guardian’s beloved beautiful Japanese sculpture of which he loved dearly and had placed in his own room. As Rúḥíyyih Khánum describes it:

No better emblem than this symbol of victory could have been found for the resting-place of him who had won so many victories as he led the hosts of Bahá'u'lláh's followers on their ceaseless conquests throughout the five continents of the world.

The wall around the Guardian’s resting place was a reminiscence of Shoghi Effendi’s beautiful gates around the Holy Places in Haifa. The red and the white, the ornaments, the iron gates, the gilding, all the aspects of the wall around his resting place were many of the things the Guardian had loved dearly and used frequently in his own designs from the gardens surrounding the Shrines of Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb, and the Monument Gardens.

The specific design for the wall surrounding the resting place of the Guardian came from a very famous estate, an unusually beautiful one. The Guardian loved beauty, and Rúḥíyyih Khánum tried very hard to surround his grave with the kind of beauty that was his taste.

Second conclave of the Hands of the Cause, November 1958. Source: Bahaimedia.

On 4 November 1957, when the Guardian suddenly passed away, there was not a single eligible surviving member of the family of Bahá’u’lláh left to appoint as Head of the Bahá'í Faith and Shoghi Effendi had been unable to name a successor.

The Bahá'í community was left without a leader.

The mantle of responsibility for coordinating the efforts of the last 26 National Spiritual Assemblies around the world thus fell on the Institution of the Hands of the Cause—the highest-ranking members of the world Bahá'í Administrative Order and named by the Guardian himself as the “Chief Stewards of Bahá‘u'lláh's embryonic world commonwealth."

The Institution of the Hands of the Cause were now firmly established as the ruling and guiding body of the entire Bahá'í world, a duty they solemnly discharged, while never, for a single instant being influenced by ambition or ego. T

here was no time to lose. For the 27 Hands of the Cause of the of God appointed by the Guardian, their sole objective and only aim of their every effort for the next five years would be to succeed in electing the Universal House of Justice at Riḍván 1963.

Speaking of the Ministry of the Custodians, the Universal House of Justice would later declare:

The entire history of religion shows no comparable record of such strict self-discipline, such absolute loyalty and such complete self-abnegation by the leaders of a religion finding themselves suddenly deprived of their divinely inspired guide. The debt of gratitude which mankind for generations, nay, ages to come, owes to this handful of grief-stricken, steadfast, heroic souls is beyond estimation.

The Hands of the Cause were deeply aware that they were beginning their ministry deprived of the one thing that had made the Guardian and the Universal House of Justice irreplaceable: their infallibility. This fact meant that they had only one safe course: to follow, with undeviating firmness all of the instructions left by the Guardian in his letters and cables, and to rely on the Holy Writings of Bahá'u'lláh.

Throughout the Bahá'í world, only the Hands of the Cause understood what was facing the Faith at the end of 1957. The Guardian’s Ten Year Crusade had been designed to bring into existence the number of National Spiritual Assemblies necessary to elect the Universal House of Justice, and it was approaching its mid-way point. There were still five years left in the Crusade. Until then, the Hands of the Cause fully realized that they would have to provide the authoritative guidance to the Bahá'í world for their collective activities.

Photograph of the front door of the Master’s house which five Hands of the Cause led by Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum entered on 14 November 1957.Photo by Farzam Sabetian. Source: Luminous Spot: House of the Master.

Eleven days after the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land had secured the Guardian’s office, at 11:00 AM on 15 November 1957, five Hands of the Cause—Amatul'Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Mason Remey, Amelia Collins, Dr. Giachery and Leroy Ioas—unsealed the envelope containing the keys to the Guardian’s apartment and entered.

They immediately proceeded to the Guardian’s safe, where he kept his most precious and sacred documents, and sealed it with tape, on which they all signed their name. They then sealed Shoghi Effendi’s safe with sealing wax on the upper and lower doors.

The five Hands of the Cause also sealed and signed the Guardian’s desk drawers.

The keys of the safe were placed in an envelope, signed by all 5 Hands of the Cause which was then sealed with wax, and the envelope was delivered to the Guardian’s Assistant Secretary, Hand of the Cause Leroy Ioas, who placed the envelope in the safe in his office.

The State of Israel, District Commissioner of Haifa, acknowledges the change of management in the Israel Branches of various Baha'i National Spiritual Assemblies previously under the management of Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Baha'i Faith. Source: The Bahá'í World Volume 13, page 254.

On 18 November 1957, the first conclave of the Hands of the Cause began. Of the 27 Hands of the Cause, 26 had arrived in Haifa but only 25 were able to participate in the meetings. Clara Dunn, the 26^th Hand of the Cause had traveled to Haifa from Australia but was too weak to participate in the meetings, and Corinne True, the 27^th Hand of the Cause, at the age of 96, was unable to make the long trip from the United States.

The conclave’s first act was to delegate 9 Hands of the Cause to inspect the apartment and office of Shoghi Effendi on 19 November 1957: Amatu’l-Bahá Ruḥíyyíh Khánum, Mason Remey, Amelia Collins, Dr. Giachery, Leroy Ioas, Ḥasan Balyúzí, Horace Holley, Musa Banani, and Dr, ‘Alí-Muḥammad Varqá. The Hands of the Cause were instructed to open the Guardian’s safe and desk and search for a Will and Testament executed by Shoghi Effendi.

The 9 Hands of the Cause found that the seals placed on the safe and desk of the Guardian on 15 November were intact and untouched, and found no will.

This was the statement that they issued:

…the safe and desk have been opened and searched and the nonexistence of a Will and Testament executed by Shoghi Effendi was definitely established.

The veranda of the upper floor of the Mansion of Bahjí, where the all the conclaves of the Hands of the Cause took place during the Ministry of the Custodians. Photograph by Farzam Sabetian. Source: Luminous Spot: Mansion of Bahjí

The first conclave of the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land took place in the upper hall of the Mansion of Bahjí from 18 to 25 November 1957.

The 25 Hands of the Cause participating in the meetings were dazed and grieving, mourning their Guardian. At this conclave, they fixed the format of the next five conclaves. In the morning, they prayed in the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, then they had their day-long meetings.

At the end of the business day, because the consultations were so confidential, the 25 Hands of the Cause gathered together and burned their day’s notes. In the evening, they all met in the room where Bahá'u'lláh had passed away for payers.

Only two of the Persian Hands of the Cause were bilingual, and they had to translate everything both ways for the other 7 Hands of the Cause who only spoke Persian, hour after hour, and day after day. The Conclaves would never have an agent, a rigid meeting format, or officers, and the chairmanship rotated.

During this conclave, the Hands of the Cause voted for those among them who would live and serve at the Bahá'í World Centre as the nine legal Custodians of the Faith. As Rúḥíyyih Khánum so perceptively remarks:

For those who were not already part of the body of the Hands in Haifa this meant literally burning all their bridges behind them.

Hand of the Cause Paul Haney was a successful economist, who had just recently been promoted at his job in a prominent investment form. He had been promised a substantial raise and a significant retirement package, When he was elected, he bowed his head and said:

You are only called once.

Signature of 26 of the 27 Hands of the Cause. Mason Remey’s signature not included as he later broke the Covenant. Source: Bahaimedia.

On 25 November, the 26 Hands of the Cause present in the Holy Land issued a signed proclamation regarding their role as Chief Stewards of the Bahá'í Faith:

WHEREAS THE Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, His Eminence the late Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, passed away in London (England) on the 4th of November, 1957, without having appointed his successor;

AND WHEREAS it is now fallen upon us as Chief Stewards of the Bahá'í World Faith to preserve the unity, the security and the development of the Bahá'í World Community and all its institutions;

AND WHEREAS in accordance with the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá) "the Hands of the 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";

We nominate and appoint from our own number to act on our behalf as the Custodians of the Bahá'í World Faith.

The 9 Hands of the Cause appointed as Custodians of the Faith were to live and work fulltime at the Bahá'í World Centre in Haifa and continue the work that the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith had begun, which included, of course, answering incoming letters, which they would respond to based on the Guardian’s directives and the guidance of the Holy Writings.

The 9 Hands of the Cause who were now Custodians of the Faith in Haifa were: services in the work of the Guardian of the Cause of God:

1. Amatul'Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum
2. Charles Mason Remey
3. Amelia E. Collins
4. Leroy C. Ioas
5. Ḥasan Balyúzí
6. ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan
7. Jalál Kháḍih
8. Paul E. Haney
9. Adelbert Mühlschlegel

The Hands of the Cause passed 9 resolutions at their first conclave, all having to do with the administration of the Institution of the Hands of the Cause and the Custodians of the Faith, instituted an annual conclave of the Hands of the Cause, and outlined how meetings should be run and how to interact with the government of Israel.

They also passed 7 resolutions, relating to how they should discharge their duties and communicate with each other.

“how strongly Shoghi Effendi has laid the foundations of the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh” Detail of the Corinthian capitals of the columns from the Seat of the Universal House of Justice, made to represent the foundations so solidly laid by the Guardian for the election of the supreme institution of the Faith in the Holy Land. Photograph by Farzam Sabetian. Source: Luminous Spot: The Arc.

In a long, heartfelt, deeply moving letter, the Hands of the Cause related to the Bahá'ís of the world everything that had happened from the moment the Guardian had passed away, including their fruitless search for a will and testament.

The Hands of the Cause poured out their hearts to the believers, speaking of the dark abyss after the Guardian’s passing, and reminding them of everything that Shoghi Effendi had built and left for them as their trust over the past 36 years, listing them all until they remark:

Such reflections cannot but, in such a world-shattering experience as all Bahá'ís have this month endured, reveal to us how strongly Shoghi Effendi has laid the foundations of the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh through the appointment of Hands of the Cause and likewise the appointment of the International Bahá'í Council, the institution destined to evolve into the Universal House of Justice.

In this letter, the Hands of the Cause clearly delineate their role as Chief Stewards of the Faith: to protect the Faith from all attacks, from within or without, to carry out every aspect of the Guardian’s expressed wishes and hopes, to hold the five Intercontinental Teaching Conferences in 1958, to achieve all the goals of the Ten Year Crusade by 1963, and, finally, to call for the election of the Universal House of Justice at Riḍván 1963.

The Ministry of the Custodians was born.