[One of the friends asked ‘Abdu’l-Baha about the leaders and
Hands of the Cause in this Dispensation.]
‘Abdu’l-Baha said:
The Blessed Perfection has extirpated superstitions, root
and branch. The Hands of the Cause in this dispensation are not heirs to any
name or title; rather, they are sanctified souls, the rays of whose holiness
and spirituality throw light on the hearts of all. Hearts are attracted by the
beauty of their morals, the sincerity of their intentions, and their sense of
equity and justice. Souls are involuntarily enamored of their praiseworthy
morals and laudable attributes. Faces turn in spontaneous attraction to their
outstanding qualities and actions. `Hand of the Cause' is not a title that may
be awarded to whomever it may please to have it, nor is it a chair of honor
upon which whoever wishes may sit. The Hands of the Cause are the hands of God.
Therefore, whomsoever is the servant and promoter of the Word of God, he is the
hand of God. The object is a matter of the spirit and not one of letters or
words. The more self-effacing one is, the more assisted he is in the Cause of
God; and the more meek and humble, the nearer he is to God.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Responding to a question aboard the Cedric, April 2, 1912, recorded by Mahmud
Zarqani; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’)
