November 19. On this date in 1980, Hand of the Cause of God Abu'l-Qásim Faizi died in Haifa. He had studied at the American University of Beirut at the same time as Hasan Balyúzí and Munib Shahid. Shoghi Effendi titled him the "spiritual conqueror" of Arabia for his pioneering to Iraq and Bahrain.

 

November 19. On this date in 1980, Hand of the Cause of God Abu'l-Qásim Faizi died in Haifa. He had studied at the American University of Beirut at the same time as Hasan Balyúzí and Munib Shahid. Shoghi Effendi titled him the "spiritual conqueror" of Arabia for his pioneering to Iraq and Bahrain.

Born in 1906 in Qom, Abu'l-Qásim Faizi grew up in Tehran. After finishing school he attended the American College in Tehran, but transferred to the American University of Beirut in 1927, where he studied at the same time as Hasan Balyúzí and Munib Shahid.

In 1939, Abu'l-Qásim Faizi married Gloria 'Alá'í, a member of the prominent 'Alá'í family whose members include Hand of the Cause of God Shu'á'u'lláh ‘Alá'í.

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. In 1960, when the National Spiritual Assembly of France accepted Mason Remey's claim to be the Guardian after the death of Shoghi Effendi, the Custodians (who were the nine Hands of the Cause of God assigned specifically to work at the Bahá'í World Centre) sent Abu'l-Qásim Faizi to meet with them. Through his reports, the Hands of the Cause disbanded the Assembly, declaring its members Covenant-breakers.

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 Abu'l-Qásim Faizi.

Because he was a fluent English speaker, Abu'l-Qásim Faizi traveled extensively giving talks at various conferences on various topics the recordings of which were widely disseminated among Bahá’ís. For example, in one of his talks he addressed homosexuality...

Beloved friends, we are living at the end of all ages. We are living at a time when an old civilization is dying, and parts of it are dead. It is dead and as a dead body the stinking smells of a dead corpse is spread everywhere. There are all these problems that are asked by the youth are these stinking smells of this dead body of civilization, and one of them is this problem. Bahá'u'lláh says "my pen is ashamed to mention it." Now see how corrupted the world is that even in a Bahá’í community somebody asked it, mentions it. Bahá'u'lláh says his pen is ashamed to mention it. This shows how degraded humanity is, into what a pitfall man has fallen, and how they have lost all standards all levels of life to them. Now we must come together as I said at the beginning. We must be closer to each other. More in love with each other so that we form a great magnet. That magnet will attract all the people around you, and by coming into that atmosphere of the Bahá'í Faith they will forget their childish thoughts. All their problems will dissolve. The beloved Guardian had been asked about this. He said refer to competent physicians. This is curable. It means it is a disease not something natural. Absolutely unnatural.

On November 19, 1980, Hand of the Cause of God Abu'l-Qásim Faizi died in Haifa where he was residing.