The
Hands of the Cause of God were a select group of Bahá’ís, appointed for life, whose main function was to propagate and protect the
Bahá’í Faith on the international level. In all there were fifty Hands of the Cause, four named by
Bahá’u’lláh, four by
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and forty-two by
Shoghi Effendi (including ten posthumously). The title is no longer given out, and there are no longer any living Hands of the Cause, the last surviving Hand being Dr.
'Alí-Muhammad Varqá. The work of the Hands of the Cause is now carried out by the
Continental Board of Counsellors and the
Auxiliary Boards. The most complete list of the Hands available is from "The Bahá’í World: Vol XIV". The
Universal House of Justice has confirmed that this list may not be complete, and that a study of the letters and archives may reveal others named to this station.