- 1961-11-05 —
The Hands of the Cause issued a message from their fifth Conclave. [MoC313–23]
- They called for the election of the Universal House of Justice at a convention to be held in the Holy Land on the first, second and third days of Ridván 1963. [CB392; MoC321]
- They asked the electors to leave the Hands free to 'discharge their duties'. [MoC321]
- The celebration of the Most Great Jubilee, the Centenary of the Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh, was to be held in London rather than Baghdád, owing to the situation in the Middle East. [MoC322]
- 1963-04-28 —
The first Bahá'í World Congress, the 'Most Great Jubilee', was held in London to celebrate the centenary of the declaration of Bahá'u'lláh. The beloved Guardian had wanted this long-planned gathering to take place in Baghdad, but the situation did not allow the gathering to take place there. In 1961, the Hands of the Cause of God residing at the Holy Land decided to hold the Congress in London, which would also enable the participants to visit the resting place of the Guardian. [BW14:57]
- For a detailed account and many pictures see BW14:57–80.
- For the programme of speakers see BW14:60–1.
- Some 6,000 Bahá'ís attend.
- The closing talk at the Bahá'í world congress by Hand of the cause Abu'l-Qasim Faizi.
- 1963-04-30 —
The members of the Universal House of Justice were presented to the World Congress and the first statement of the House of Justice was read by David Hofman. [BW14:68]
- For the text of the statement see BW14:431–2 and WG1–3.
- 2003-05-09 —
The passing of David Hofman (b.1908 in Poona, India) in Oxford, England. [BW03-04p234-235]
- He was one of the nine elected members of the Universal House of Justice when that institution came into being in 1963.
- He presented the first statement from the supreme Baha'i administrative body in April 1963 to the World Congress in London. Twenty-nine years later, in 1992, he delivered the opening address to the second Baha'i World Congress in New York, an event attended by some 30,000 people.
- He served as a member of the Universal House of Justice for 25 years, until he left in 1988 at the age of 80. [BWNS209, BW'03-'04pg234, UK Bahá'í Journal]
- See a brief biography in The Bahá'í Community of the British Isles 1844-1963 p462-464 and for the story of his learning of the Faith, p452-453
- His published works included:
- Selections from Bahá'í Scriptures (1941)
- The Renewal of Civilization (1945)
- God and His Messengers (1953)
- George Townshend, A Life (1983)
- A Commentary on the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1983)
- Baha'u'llah, the Prince of Peace: A Portrait (1992)
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