Abu’l-Qásim Faizí | |
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Born | 1906 Qúm, Irán |
Died | November 19, 1980 |
ABM | Asia 1954 - 1957 |
Custodian | 1957 - 1963 |
Spouse(s) | Gloria Faizi |
Children | May, Naysan |
Signature | ![]() |
Abu’l-Qásim Faizí (1906 - November 19, 1980)[1] was a Hand of the Cause of God and Persian Bahá’í. He studied at the American University of Beirut. He married Gloria 'Alá'í in 1939. Together they pioneered to Iraq and Bahrain. Shoghi Effendi called him the 'spiritual conqueror' of Arabia, and appointed him a Hand of the Cause of God in 1957.
Biography[edit]
Early Life[edit]
Mr. Faizi was born in Qum, but his family moved to Tehran when he was young. His first encounter with the Faith came when he attended Tarbíyat School in Tehran at the age of eight or nine. He was invited to Bahá'í classes at the school by friends and accepted the Faith soon after. Although his mother remained a Muslim she supported his conversion and woke early to prepare his breakfast during the Baha'i month of fasting.
After finishing school he attended the American College in Tehran, but transferred to the American University of Beirut in 1927. This allowed him to meet Shoghi Effendi and Bahíyyih Khánum, as students in Beirut were able to go on pilgrimage to Haifa during Christmas and Easter holidays. Both Shoghi Effendi and Bahíyyih Khánum noted that he had a melodious voice and asked him to chant prayers for them.[2]
He was often accompanied to Haifa by fellow student H.M. Balyuzi, and Shoghi Effendi allowed them to visit the Mansion of Bahjí in 1932 making them the first to visit the Mansion since he had recovered ownership from the Covenant-breakers. On his last pilgrimage in 1933, Shoghi Effendi gave Faizi flowers to place on the grave of Keith Ransom-Kehler in Isfahan.
While attending the American University of Beirut Faizi contributed the following paragraph to Volume 5 of The Baha'i World, a yearbook for the religion:
"The Baha'i students at Beirut form a nucleus of youth that fully believes in a 'new cycle of human power' to be brought about by putting in practice the heavenly teachings of Baha'u'llah. Armed with the weapons of scientific thinking and of past and current events, and equipped with the spiritual heritage of the Baha'i Faith to which they are jealously devoted, they are preparing themselves to take part in the great labor of constructing a new world order out of the debris of the shattered civilization of today. As a matter of fact, every believer must and shall have a task in that great labor"[3]
Faizi intended to teach at the Tarbíyat School in Tehran after completing his degree in English Literature and Education, which Shoghi Effendi approved of. He was prevented from achieving this goal when the Iranian government closed all Bahá'í schools in 1934, and he instead took a job with the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in Tehran. He soon left this position when he heard that the Bahá'ís of Najafabad required a teacher due to their school being closed. Shoghi Effendi greatly approved of this decision and wrote the following about Faizi:
"This spontaneous decision will attract divine confirmation and is a clear proof of the high endeavour, the pure motive, and the self sacrifice of that favoured servant of the divine Threshold. I am extremely pleased and grateful to him and I pray from the depths of my heart for the success of that active, radiant youth . . ."[4]
Najafabad and Qazvin[edit]
Faizi moved to Najafabad in 1935 and lived there with his mother, a servant, a child he had adopted in Tehran and two children of a widowed relative. Of the 2500 residents of Najafabad, 1500 were Baha'i and Faizi had 400 students who he grouped into classes based on their age and knowledge. Six women assisted Faizi in teaching[5] and they had to travel from house to house sometimes having to work from dawn till midnight. While living in Najafabad Faizi also held deepening classes in Isfahan, regularly visited the Bahá'ís, established a Bahá'í library, encouraged the construction of a public bathhouse and trained other Bahá'í teachers. He married Gloria while living in Najafabad.
After living in Najafabad for five years Faizi had trained enough teachers to sustain the community, and was asked to move to Qazvin by the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran. Although he only lived in Qazvin for one year, Faizi was able to establish Bahá'í classes for all ages and establish another Bahá'í library. Over thirty of the Bahá'í youth in Qazvin studied under Faizi daily, sometimes accompanying him on visits to surrounding villages. These youth traveled to many villages across Iran to teach the faith, and many later pioneered to different countries.
Pioneering[edit]
In 1941 Shoghi Effendi asked for pioneers, and Faizi moved to Baghdad where he hoped to secure a visa that would allow him to pioneer to an Arabian country. While in Baghdad he established youth classes and supported the National Spiritual Assembly of Iraq and after a year he was able to move to Bahrain where he secured a job as a secondary school teacher. He was fired from his position when the school found out that he was a Bahá'í.
Teaching the Faith was prohibited in Bahrain, but Faizi quickly made friends and became a respected member of the community with his conduct and personality. He supported the other pioneers in Arabia with regular letters, and although they were not permitted to teach, the reputations they gained in their communities allowed more Bahá'ís to pioneer. By 1951 the Baha'i community of Bahrain had grown to thirty-five members and in that year they contributed $320 towards the construction of the Shrine of the Báb. Faizi said of the donation:
"If you knew, how very poor the friends in this place are, you would know that they have given all that they had. Our tailor offered his gold ring of the Greatest Name."[6]
Service Abroad[edit]

In 1953 Faizi attended the Intercontinental Conference in India. He acted as a translator at the Conference[7] and delivered a speech on universal peace at a public meeting at the New Delhi town hall.[8] Shoghi Effendi had asked Hand of the Cause ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan to visit the Australian Bahá'í community, and as Faizi was fluent in English he accompanied Mr. Furutan to Australia from the Conference to serve as translator.
They were received at the Sydney House of Worship on December 9th, 1953 and taught at the Yerrinbool Summer School which was attended by approximately seventy Australian and New Zealand Bahá'ís. In addition to translating for Mr. Furutan, Mr. Faizi delivered his own talks on The Dawn-Breakers.[9] He was also interviewed on the radio, with the interview being broadcast as far as the Eastern Caroline Islands.[10]
He was appointed as an Asiatic Auxiliary Board member by the Hands of the Cause in Asia in 1954[11] and first acted in this capacity at the Pakistan Teaching Conference held in January 1956. The conference aimed to prepare Pakistan for the formation of a National Spiritual Assembly.[12] A National Spiritual Assembly of the Arabian Peninsula was formed in 1957 and Faizi served on the body as Chairman.[13]
Ministry of the Custodians[edit]
Mr. Faizi was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi while he was visiting Europe in 1957. Only a few weeks later Shoghi Effendi passed away in London, and Faizi attended the funeral where he chanted the Prayer for the Dead. He was one of nine Hands of the Cause elected to serve as a Custodian and administer the Faith in Haifa until the Universal House of Justice was established.
He often facilitated discussions between the Eastern and Western Hands during the Ministry of the Custodians, as he was fluent in both Persian and English. He met with pilgrims to the Holy Land, and accompanied them to the Holy Places.
Although as Custodian he had many duties to attend to in Haifa, he was able to travel abroad on some occasions. In October of 1957 he attended the Fifth Baha'i Intercontinental Conference in Singapore where he spoke about how the Custodians administered the Faith and the state of the Faith in Japan mentioning that the Guardian had called the National Spiritual Assembly of Japan the spiritual North Pole of the Pacific.[14] In 1958 he attended the first Baha'i wedding in Malaya and gave a speech on the Baha'i Faith at a reception held after the ceremony.[15]
As he was fluent in French he was sent to France in 1960 to consult with the National Spiritual Assembly of France who had accepted Mason Remey's claim to the Guardianship. Five of the members of the NSA continued to support Mason Remey after the meeting and the Assembly was dissolved.[16]
In late 1962 Faizi visited Bolivia, attending the National Congress in Cochambamba.[17]
Service as Hand of the Cause[edit]
After the Universal House of Justice was elected in 1963, five Hands of the Cause were selected to remain in Haifa to facilitate the Hands and assist the Universal House of Justice. Faizi was one of the five chosen to remain in Haifa, but he was still able to travel extensively to visit Baha'is across the world.
Faizi spoke at the closing session of the Baha'i World Congress held in London in 1963, he spoke about what he had learnt during his travels in the past year and emphasized that the pioneers should not be discouraged if results are not seen immediately:
"I want to assure everybody that there is nothing wrong with the pioneers, nothing wrong with the method of their teaching, but there is this little misunderstanding. They think that India got all these results only this year - or Africa , or Indonesia. No, beloved friends, this is the work of at least ninety years of struggle. Baha 'u'llah Himself sent Jamal Effendi, who went to all the provinces of India and spoke about the Cause, and returned to Baha'u'llah apparently empty handed. Baha'u'llah told him to go back, sow the seed.'This is your function." The next time Jamal Effendi went to India he went to all the provinces , went to Burma, to Singapore, to Java, to the Philippines, and to some of the islands of the Pacific: and this teacher of the Cause , the most capable, died without having seen a single result of his activity." - Excerpt from A.Q. Faizi's Address at the Baha'i World Congress, May 2, 1963[18]
In 1964 Faizi visited Iran, where he met with and encouraged the Baha'i Youth, returned to Najafabad where he heard firsthand accounts of the 1955 persecution of the Baha'is and visited the House of the Báb where he took several photographs that were shared by William Sears at the first Southern California Baha'i Summer School held the same year.[19]
In July, 1965 Faizi taught at the fourth Finnish Summer School in Lahti, and was interviewed by a Finnish newspaper. A quote from the interview:
"This is the day promised by all the Prophets of the past. Each man is called upon to help in the establishment of God's Kingdom on Earth.. .. I have found the (Finnish) people very kind, of excellent manners, upright, truthful, and above all, very brave. I hope and pray that they will channel all these excellent qualities to help in the establishment of peace, security and divine brotherhood on this planet before wars change men into brutal beasts."[20]
In 1966 Faizi was for the most part required to remain in the Holy Land alongside Paul Haney and Ruhiyyih Khanum to assist with administering the Faith, however he did support the Baha'i community abroad with letters of encouragement from Haifa to the second national Baha'i youth school in Spain and a Youth Conference held in Oklahoma City.[21] He was able to briefly visit Turkey, Belgium and Germany when Hand of the Cause ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá assumed duties in the Holy Land for two months.[22]
In 1967 he assisted in contacting national leaders in India prior to the Intercontinental Conference in New Delhi which he attended.[23] After departing India he traveled through Asia, attending the South East Asian Regional Conference in Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia[24], visiting South Korea and Japan, inspecting a Temple site in Vietnam and visiting the National Baha'i Center in Taipei, Taiwan. Faizi traveled across the USA in December speaking at a seminar in Hawaii[25], attending an Auxiliary Board Team Conference in Wilmette and delivering many talks on the Hidden Words, Baha'i Education and the Kitab-i-Iqan in Los Angeles and San Francisco.[26][27] He then taught at the 1967-68 Winter Youth School in York, England, at which many youth volunteered to pioneer.[28]
In 1968 Faizi attended the Baha'i Mediterranean Conference in Palermo, Italy, delivering a talk on the life of Bahá'u'lláh.[29] Faizi began a long tour of Asia in December, beginning with a visit to New Delhi on the 10th, where he delivered a widely publicized talk. He also stayed in Madras before leaving for Ceylon, where he stayed for nineteen days. He then traveled to Malaysia where he attended the inaugural South East Asian Regional Baha'i Youth Conference held in Kuala Lumpar, held deepening classes in Penang and officially opened a Haziratu'I Quds in Alor Setar.[30] Faizi then traveled to Laos where he met with the National Spiritual Assembly.[31]
In 1969 Faizi completed his extensive tour of the Far East, visiting Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore and finally returning to India in January. He then traveled to Tehran to support the youth in Iran.[32] He attended the Conference of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Auckland, New Zealand from November 14th to the 16th[33] also attended the Continental Board of Counselors Conference in Melbourne, Australia from November 21st to the 23rd.[34] From December 29th 1969 to January 2nd 1970 Faizi attended the First International Baha'i Youth Conference of the South Pacific in Apia, Western Samoa where he held deepening classes. Ninety Baha'is from nine different countries attended the conference.[35]
In 1970 Faizi visited Honolulu in early January[36], and attended a two day deepening conference in Guam on January 17th where he spoke about problems that faced the Baha'i community and the nature of the Kitab-i-Iqan.[37] Immediately following Ridvan he visited several countries in Africa to hold deepening classes and assist with proclamation of the Faith, attending the first Baha'i Convention for Central Africa in Bangui, Central African Republic, in May.[38] He met with the National Spiritual Assembly of Ghana with fellow Hand of the Cause Jalál Kháḍih, and they had a joint interview televised.[39]
In 1971 Faizi taught at a Baha'i Summer School held in Cesenatico, Italy in early September.[40] On September 9th he attended the funeral of Hand of the Cause Músá Banání in Uganda. He also attended a Victory Conference held on September 12th in Kampala, where he delivered a speech on the nature of the soul.[41]
In 1972 he taught at Summer Schools across the USA from June to August teaching in Arizona, New Carolina, Davison, Alabama, California, Maine and Oregon.[42] In February he visited India and addressed Baha'i youth at the New Delhi Baha'i students seminar,[43] and assisted in the establishment of the Indian Baha'i Youth Magazine Glory that year.[44] In August he attended the Baha'i European Youth Conference held in Padova, Italy which had 1600 participants from 40 different countries.[45]
Service with the International Teaching Center[edit]

When the International Teaching Center was established in 1973 all Hands of the Cause were considered members, however it was decided that the work of administering and coordinating the Institution was the responsibility of the Hands of the Cause in Haifa, one of whom was Mr. Faizi.
He attended the inaugural meeting of the International Teaching Center in Haifa on June 14, 1973 along with the other Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land, and the three Counselors appointed to the Institution: Hooper Dunbar, Florence Mayberry and 'Aziz Yazdi.[46]
In 1974 Faizi, William Sears and Collis Featherstone represented the Universal House of Justice at the Baha'i International Youth Conference held in Hawaii from the 4th to the 8th of August. 1,000 Baha'is from 35 countries attended the conference itself, and over 16,000 people attended the various events associated with it.[47][48] He also attended the First National Baha'i Conference of the Five Year Plan for the USA in St. Louis from August 29th to September 1st. More than 10,000 Baha'is attended the Conference.[49]
In June Faizi traveled extensively in Brazil visiting: Recife, Bahia, Salvador, Lauro de Freitas, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Sao Paulo where he held a ten day study course. In July he attended a teaching conference in Lima, Peru where he delivered a speech on the Five Year Plan, emphasizing the important role that youth could play. Nine youth volunteered to pioneer at the conference.[50]
In 1975 Faizi traveled extensively through Europe in July teaching at nine Summer Schools and visiting Baha'is in the Netherlands, Denmark, Beligum, the UK, France, Luxembourg, Italy and Austria. He returned to Haifa in October to participate in the Pilgrimage program.[51] In December Faizi, Shu'á'u'lláh ‘Alá'í and ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá inaugurated an Inter-Assembly Conference for Western Asia which was held from the 11th to the 13th.[52]
In 1977 Faizi made a productive visit to Fiji where he met with the Auxiliary Board, the National Spiritual Assembly and the Local Spiritual Assembly of Suva. In Nasinu he held a youth deepening class and delivered a speech to more than 200 people at the Nasinu Teacher Training College. He then attended a Naw-Ruz celebration in Koronivia where he met the Principal of the Fiji College of Agriculture who invited him to deliver a speech at the College. He also gave a public talk on child education at the Baha'i National Center, and met with the head of the School of Education and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of the South Pacific and gave them some Baha'i books. While in the country He was also interviewed on Radio Fiji, resulting in the Baha'i community of Fiji receiving many questions about the Faith from the wider community. The night before he departed he delivered a speech to 250 people at the Grand Pacific Hotel where he emphasized the goals set for Fiji in the Five Year Plan.[53]
In 1978 Faizi attended the Eighth Australian Baha'i Youth Conference at the University of NSW in Sydney from January 14-17, delivering two speeches and attending the children's program.[54] In the summer he taught at the Norwegian Baha'i Summer School and visited Baha'is in several towns in Sweden.[55]

When he was no longer able to travel he received pilgrims at his home in Haifa, and maintained correspondence with many Bahá'ís throughout the world.
He passed away in 1980. The Universal House of Justice sent the following cable after his passing.
HEARTS FILLED WITH SORROW PASSING INDEFATIGABLE SELFSACRIFICING DEARLY LOVED HAND CAUSE GOD ABUL QASIM FAIZI. ENTIRE BAHAI WORLD MOURNS HIS LOSS. HIS EARLY OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS IN CRADLE FAITH THROUGH EDUCATION CHILDREN YOUTH STIMULATION FRIENDS PROMOTION TEACHING WORK PROMPTED BELOVED GUARDIAN DESCRIBE HIM AS LUMINOUS DISTINGUISHED ACTIVE YOUTH. HIS SUBSEQUENT PIONEERING WORK IN LANDS BORDERING IRAN WON HIM APELLATION SPIRITUAL CONQUEROR THOSE LANDS. FOLLOWING HIS APPOINTMENT HAND CAUSE HE PLAYED INVALUABLE PART WORK HANDS HOLY LAND TRAVELLED WIDELY PENNED HIS LITERARY WORKS' CONTINUED EXTENSIVE INSPIRING CORRESPONDENCE WITH HIGH AND LOW YOUNG AND OLD UNTIL AFTER LONG ILLNESS HIS SOUL WAS RELEASED AND WINGED ITS FLIGHT ABHA KINGDOM. CALL ON FRIENDS EVERYWHERE HOLD BEFITTING MEMORIAL GATHERINGS HIS HONOUR INCLUDING SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE MEETINGS HIS NAME IN HOUSES WORSHIP ALL CONTINENTS. MAY HIS SHINING EXAMPLE CONSECRATION CONTINUE INSPIRE HIS ADMIRERS EVERY LAND. PRAYING HOLY SHRINES HIS NOBLE RADIANT SOUL MAY BE IMMERSED IN OCEAN DIVINE MERCY CONTINUE ITS UNINTERRUPTED PROGRESS IN INFINITE WORLD BEYOND.[56]
Bibliography[edit]


- 1964 - Payam-i-Dust va Bahar-i-Sad-u-ist
- 1967 - Flame of Fire: The Tablet of Ahmad
- 1967 - Dastan-i-Dustan
- 1968 - Explanation of the Greatest Name
- 1969 - Bahá’í Lessons
- 1969 - A Flame of Fire
- 1969 - From Adrianople to 'Akka
- 1970 - Three Meditations on the Eve of November the Fourth
- 1972 - Buzurg
- 1973 - Our Precious Trusts
- 1973 - Divine Education: The Root of Knowledge
- 1975 - The Wonder Lamp
- 1976 - Qafilih Salar-i-Bandigi
- 1977 - The Prince of Martyrs
- 1977 - Milly
- 1979 - Asfar Bahr Muhit
- 1980 - Stories From the Delight of Hearts: The Memoirs of Haji Mirza Haydar Ali (English Translation)
- 1982 - A Gift of Love Offered to the Greatest Holy Leaf compiled and edited by Gloria Faizi
- 2002 - Conqueror of Hearts
- 2021 - Penned by A. Q. Faizi[57]
- Portals to Freedom by Howard Colby Ives (Persian Translation)
- The Priceless Pearl by Ruhiyyih Khanum (Persian Translation)
Talks[edit]
- 1963 - Closing Talk at the Bahá’í World Congress in London
- 1972 - Remarks at the Close of the Youth Conference in Plön, Germany
- 1974 - Education of Children
Notes[edit]
- ↑ Rabbani, R. (Ed.) (1992). The Ministry of the Custodians 1957-1963. Bahá’í World Centre. pp. p. xxiii. ISBN 085398350X.
{{cite book}}
:|pages=
has extra text (help) - ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 82. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1936). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 5 (1932-1934), Pg(s) 382. View as PDF.
- ↑ Adamson, H.C., Historical Dictionary of the Baha'i Faith
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1942). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. Wilmette, Ill. Volume 8 (1938-1940), Pg(s) 566. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 245
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1956). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. Wilmette, Ill. Volume 12 (1950-1954), Pg(s) 188. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News issue 273
- ↑ https://bahai-library.com/pdf/h/hassall_faizi_furutan_australia.pdf
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 276
- ↑ Baha'i News no. 280
- ↑ Baha'i News no. 303
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1970). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 13 (1954-1963), Pg(s) 346. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 334
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 340
- ↑ https://bahai-library.com/tags/Abul-Qasim_Faizi
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 380
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 389
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 403
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 415
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 432
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 431
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1978). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 16 (1973-1976), Pg(s) 94. View as PDF.
- ↑ Malaysian Baha'i News, Vol. 9, Iss. 4
- ↑ http://bahai-library.com/faizi_hawaii_1967
- ↑ National Baha'i Review, no. 6
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 444
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 445
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 451
- ↑ Malaysian Baha'i News, Vol. 9, Iss. 4
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 456
- ↑ Baha'i News No. 461
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 467
- ↑ http://bahai-library.com/faizi_australia_1969
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 468
- ↑ Light of the Pacific, No. 56
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 470
- ↑ Baha'i News (1970). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 473, Pg(s) 20. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 476
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 489
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 489
- ↑ National Baha'i Review No. 52
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 497
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 507. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 502
- ↑ Baha'i News 510
- ↑ Baha'i News, no. 562
- ↑ Baha'i News, no. 521
- ↑ Baha'i News, no. 522
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 523
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 537
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 540
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 556
- ↑ Baha'i News, no. 551
- ↑ Baha'i News, No. 573
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 491. View as PDF.
- ↑ https://www.booktopia.com.au/penned-by-a-q-faizi-abu-l-q-sim-faizi/book/9780853986379.html
References[edit]
- Harper, Barron (1997). Lights of Fortitude (Paperback ed.). Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0-85398-413-1.
- https://bahai-library.com/macias_faizi_biography
- The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 659-665. View as PDF.
External links[edit]

- Conqueror of Hearts, Excerpts from Letters, Talks, and Writings of Hand of the Cause of God Abu'l-Qásim Faizí.
- Author introduced Faith to a generation, about the passing of Gloria Faizi.
- A video recording of Abu'l-Qásim Faizi, talking about the Ridván Garden near ‘Akká