| Dhikru'lláh Khádem | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1904 Tehran, Iran |
| Died | November 13, 1986 Skokie, Cook County, Illinois, USA |
| NSA member | Iran ???? - 1960 |
| Title(s) | Hand of the Cause Asia 1952 - 1960 Americas 1960 - 1986 |
| Signature |  |
Zikrullah Khadem (Arabic: ذكر الله خادم) (or Dhikru’lláh Khádem) (1904 - November 13, 1986)[1] was a Hand of the Cause of God appointed by Shoghi Effendi in 1952[2]. He served on the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran and later traveled extensively in service to the Faith. He had a wife Javidukht and five children.
Biography[edit]
Khadem's father, Nasrullah, had spent two years in the Holy Land serving ‘Abdu’l-Bahá before moving to Tehran to marry on the instructions of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He married Radiyyih Khanum and they had six children with Zikrullah being their second born in 1904. In Khadem's youth his household served as a center for the Tehran Bahá’í community where visiting travel teachers could stay.[3]
Khadem was a youth when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed and Shoghi Effendi became Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith and he personally wrote a letter conveying his loyalty to the Guardian. He went on pilgrimage in May 1925 and was asked by the Guardian to encourage the Persian Bahá’í youth to deepen their knowledge of the Faith and learn the English language and English literature which prompted Khadem to study English himself. He taught at the Tarbiyat School for a time and then moved to southern Iran to work as an interpreter and language tutor for the Anglo-Persian Oil Company however after a short time he resigned from his position to return to Tehran where he found work helping Iraq establish an embassy.[4]
When Keith Ransom-Kehler, an American Bahá’í posthumously appointed a Hand of the Cause, visited Iran in 1933 Khadem served as her secretary during her travels and they became friends. He married Javidukht Javid on October 3, 1933, and Kehler expressed her approval of the marriage. During the 1930's Shoghi Effendi sent his messages The Advent of Divine Justice and The Promised Day is Come and also two volumes of the year book The Bahá’í World to Khadem so that he could translate them into Persian for the Bahá’ís of Iran.[4]
In 1939 and 1940 Khadem went on pilgrimage and received instructions from Shoghi Effendi to travel across Iran after both pilgrimages. He was given specific assignments one of which was photographing the graves of martyrs in Nayriz which resulted in him being briefly imprisoned. In 1940 Shoghi Effendi instructed Khadem to negotiate with the Persian government to secure permission for Bahá’ís to go on pilgrimage to Holy Places in Iran, to encourage Persian Bahá’ís to pioneer to Arabia and islands in the Persian Gulf, and also made him responsible for receiving correspondence directly from him addressed to institutions and individuals in the East for distribution. Khadem remained responsible for receiving and distributing the Guardian's correspondence for the East until Shoghi Effendi's passing in November, 1957.[5]
On February 28, 1952, Khadem received a cable from the Guardian appointing him as a Hand of the Cause of God and that year he went on another pilgrimage to the Holy Land where he met with Shoghi Effendi. He then began traveling extensively across the world to undertake tasks for the Guardian visiting Africa, the Americas, Far East Asia, and Europe until November 1957 when Shoghi Effendi passed away. After the passing of the Guardian the Hands of the Cause assumed responsibility for the Stewardship of the Bahá’í Faith.[6]
In 1960 Khadem volunteered to move to the United States to serve as Hand of the Cause in the Americas and he and his wife settled in Champaign, Illinois.[7] When the Universal House of Justice was established in 1963 he began representing the body at conferences and conventions across the world and he undertook a five year project researching and documenting Bahá’í Holy Places for the Institution.[6] In 1965 the Khadem's moved to New York City and in 1967 they moved to Evanston, Illinois, which remained their home for the rest of Zikrullah's life.[7]
In July 1986 Khadem was diagnosed with liver cancer and became confined to his bed however he continued prolific correspondence until October when he weakened and he passed on November 13, 1986. The Universal House of Justice cabled the following after his passing:
WITH SORROWFUL HEARTS ANNOUNCE PASSING INDEFATIGABLE FEARLESS DEFENDER FAITH DEEPLY LOVED HAND CAUSE ZIKRULLAH KHADEM. HIS STERLING SERVICES TO THE CAUSE, HIS TOTAL CONSECRATION TO TASKS ASSIGNED TO HIM BY BELOVED GUARDIAN , HIS OUTSTANDING EFFORTS AS MEMBER NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY CRADLE FAITH, HIS VALUABLE SOUL-UPLIFTING STIMULATION IMPARTED BODY BELIEVERS NORTH AMERICA, PARTICULARLY UNITED STATES BAHA'I COMMUNITY, HIS UNTIRING ENDEAVOURS THROUGH HIS TALKS AND WRITINGS IN SAFEGUARDING COVENANT AND IN INSTILLING APPRECIATION LOVE FOR SHOGHI EFFENDI SHED UNDYING LUSTRE OYER PER IOD HIS ADMIRABLE STEWARDSHIP CAUSE GOD. OFFER ING PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HIS RADIANT SOUL ABHA KINGDOM. URGE HOLD BEFITTING MEMORIAL GATHERINGS HIS NAME AT ALL HOUSES OF WORSHIP AS WELL AS IN ALL LOCA L BAHA'I COMMUNITIES.[8]
Talks[edit]
- 1963 - Mission of Bahá’u’lláh
- 1981 - Interview at Green Lake Conference
- 1984 - Memories from the Guardian
- 1984 - The Power of Bahá’u’lláh
- 1984 - Remembrance of the King of Samoa and the Guardian
- 1984 - Remembrances of Shoghi Effendi: First Address
- 1984 - Remembrances of Shoghi Effendi: Second Address
- 1985 - Bahá’í World Commonwealth
- 1985 - Bringing Up Your Children in the Cause
- 1985 - Peace and the New World Order
References[edit]
- Khadem, Javidukht (1990). Zikrullah Khadem: The Itinerant Hand of the Cause of God. Baha'i Publishing Trust of the United States. ISBN 0-87743-225-2.
- Harper, Barron (1997). Lights of Fortitude (Paperback ed.). Oxford, UK: George Ronald. ISBN 0-85398-413-1.
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) - ↑ Rabbani, R. (1969). The Priceless Pearl (Hardcover ed.). London, UK: Bahá’í Publishing Trust: 2000. pp. pp. 254. ISBN 1870989910.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 784. View as PDF.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 785. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 786. View as PDF.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 787. View as PDF.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2007-07-05-0707040862-story.html
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 788. View as PDF.
