In my post titled “Baha’is knew…”
02/12/2007
It was explained how the seed of violation of the Covenant of Baha’u’llah was sown, even before the body of the first Guardian of the Faith had been buried. It was obvious that Ruhiyyih Khanum attempted to draw the attention of the Baha’is away from the proper recognition of the International Baha’i Council (the Universal House of Justice in its embryonic stage) and attract their attention instead to the Hands of the Cause, when in her second telegram she commanded: “CLING INSTITUTION HANDS” and in her next telegram announced her decision: “HANDS SHORTLY HAIFA WILL MAKE ARRANGEMENT TO BAHAI WORLD REGARDING FUTURE PLANS”.
It should have been evident that Ruhiyyih Khanum was neither in command of the Faith nor had any authority for decision-making in the Faith, but she had made up her mind and was determined that there would not be any more Guardians despite her lamenting:
“But there was one agonizing issue we could not agree on. Year after year we could come to no conclusion about whether the Guardianship was closed for the period of this Faith.”
(Ministry of the Custodians, p.16)
After the passing of Shoghi Effendi to the Abha Kingdom Ruhiyyih Khanum became a widow. She was no more the liaison officer between the Guardian and the International Baha’i Council, and she was no longer the Guardian’s secretary, but she was still a Hand of Cause. Although this position does not carry any administrative authority in the Faith, it seems that she thought she could make something out of it, for this is evident from her cablegram when she stated:
“…URGE BELIEVERS REMAIN STEADFAST CLING INSTITUTION HANDS LOVINGLY REARED RECENTLY REINFORCED EMPHASIZED BY BELOVED GUARDIAN…”
(Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Passing of Shoghi Effendi, p. 11)
And she made this confession:
“When the Guardian passed away the paramount, supremely urgent task confronting us at our first Conclave was to ensure that everything connected with the affairs, direction, and administration of the Faith was solidly and speedily vested in the Institution of the Hands.”
(Ministry of the Custodians, p. 10)
the Cause are subjects and dependents of the Guardian of the Cause of God and their subsistence is bound upon, and depends on, the existence of the Guardian. From the time they concluded that they did not want a future Guardian anymore, they stripped themselves of their station as a Hand of the Cause (let alone that they then violated the Covenant).
The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha states:
“O friends! The Hands of the Cause of God must be nominated and appointed by the Guardian of the Cause of God. All must be under his shadow and obey his command.”
“This body of the Hands of the Cause of God is under the direction of the Guardian of the Cause of God.”
(The Will and Testament, p. 12)
It is very obvious that after the passing of a Guardian he will not have a shadow anymore and he cannot direct the Hands.
Nosrat