Jináb-i-Varqá

Last year i had the bounty of going on pilgrimage to Haifa, Israel. On this pilgrimage i had the bounty of meeting with Hand of the Cause of God Mr. Varqá. i knew that this would be the last time i saw him as he was very old and i would not be returning to the Holy Land anytime soon. This last weekend he passed away in Haifa and was buried in the Bahá'í cemetery there.

For those of you who do not know i will briefly outline who he was. The founder of the Faith appointed His eldest son as His successor. His son appointed His eldest grandson as His successor. These three leaders of the faith appointed individuals who were known as Hands of the Cause and they helped promote and protect the Faith. When the Guardian passed away these individuals were left alone to guide the community. There were to be no more as the Guardian did not and could not appoint a successor and only the Guardian could appoint Hands of the Cause. Knowing this, the Hands of the Cause set about arranging for the election of the Universal House of Justice as mentioned by Bahá'u'lláh and through the process outlined by 'Abdu'l-Bahá (His son). They asked that they not be voted for and when the Universal House of Justice was elected they turned over all control of the Faith to them. Unheard of in the annals of religion, one group with absolute power turned that power over to another. Mr. Varqá was the last Hand of the Cause of God. i have had the bounty of meeting a number of them growing up and had one of them as a relative so that we saw him more often.
i was saddened by the loss of Mr. Varqá. i have written this poem, however inadequate, in his honor.

Jináb-i-Varqá

That last great Hand
In that distant land
He arrived and
We all stand

Sitting face to face
That pilgrim night
Those eyes so deep
Filling all with delight

The joy expressed
From east and west
For the chance to be
With one so blessed

His words of kindness
Of joy and peace
Exhorting all to teach
To stretch out and reach
To go beyond mere speech

The last of those
Whom we will know
no more
has brought tears to eyes
drained and sore

For now he is gone home
Free to roam
With his loved ones
And fellow Hands

So much we owe
To that blessed soul
Who protected all
In that sacred role
Of steward to
Our blessed faith
In times of peril
They stood strong
Preventing all that
Could go wrong
And in the end
They would not bend
And stood firm
To the very end

Arise we must
And fulfill our trust
To teach the cause
Without pause

shiidon, September 2007