Shoghi Effendi appointed 12 Hands of the Cause of God, the first contingent of Hands to be appointed. BBRSM127; BW12:38–40, 374–5; BW13:333–4; MBW20; PG223-224]
• They were Sutherland Maxwell, Mason Remey, Amelia Collins (she had been appointed in 1946, but her appointment had not been made public), Valíyu'lláh Varqá, Tarázu'lláh Samandarí, 'Alí-Akbar Furútan, Horace Holley, Dorothy Baker, Leroy Ioas, George Townshend, Hermann Grossmann and Ugo Giachery [GBF110–11; MBW20; PP253–4]

Nine Hands were chosen to serve as Custodians of the Faith residing in the Holy Land. [BBD57; BW13:342; DH215]
• The Hands residing in the Holy Land were established as a legal body under the title 'The Custodians of the Bahá'í World Faith'.
• The Hands chosen as first Custodians are Rúhíyyih Khánum, Mason Remey, Amelia Collins, Leroy Ioas, Hasan Balyuzi, 'Alí Akbar Furútan, Jalál Kházeh, Paul Haney and Adelbert Mühlschlegel. [BW13:345–6; MC40–1]

While in Canada he visited St. Johns, Newfoundland, Vancouver, British Columbia and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and he taught at summer schools at Laurentian, Sylvan Lake, the Pacific Youth Institutes and he attended the Continental Indian Conference held at Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan. [BN No 466 January 1970 p3-4]

The International Teaching Centre was established at the Bahá'í World Centre for the purpose of continuing the work of the Hands of the Cause of God into the future. [BBD118–19; BBRSM132–3; BW16:134, 411–14; BW17:322–5; VV16, CEBF200; Wikipedia]
• For cable of the Universal House of Justice see BW16:413.
• Hands of the Cause Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, 'Alí-Akbar Furútan, Paul Haney and Abu'l-Qásim Faizí and Counsellor members Hooper Dunbar, Florence Mayberry and Aziz Yazdí were appointed. [BW16:413]
• For pictures see BW16:412 and VV16.
• The duties and the organization of the International Teaching Centre were deliniated in the Message from the Universal House of Justice of June 8th, 1973.
• See Wikipedia article for the names of the Counsellor members since its inception.

The passing of Hand of the Cause of God Ali Akbar Furútan in Haifa at the age of 98. [BWNS261, BW'03-'04pg227]
• Born in Sabzivar, Iran, on 29 April 1905.
• Moved with his family to Ashgabat in what was then Russian Turkestan (now part of Turkmenistan), and, through his years of school and university, he took an active part in the work of the Bahá'í communities of Ashgabat, Baku, Moscow, and other parts of Russia.
• In 1930 he was expelled from the Soviet Union during the Stalinist persecution of religion and from that time on played an ever more significant role in the work and administration of the Iranian Bahá'í community. [BW03-04p227-230]
• Shoghi Effendi had appointed him among the first contingent on the 24th of December, 1951. [MoCxxiii]
• For a tribute from the Universal House of Justice see message of 27 November, 2003.

Following his attendance at the Intercontinental Conference in Wilmette Hand of the Cause Furutan made a tour of Canada with an interpreter, Mr M Anvar. They visited several communities in Western Canada and attended the Feast of Grandeur in Edmonton. [CBN No 41 June, 1953 p3]
• Visits were also made to Winnipeg,London, Ottawa, Toronto, and Kingston and others. [CBN No 42 July, 1954 p5]
• The tour concluded in the Maritimes with visits to Moncton and lastly Saint John. [CBN No 43 August, 1953 p2]