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- Zikrullah Khadem (Arabic: ذكر الله خادم, or Dhikru'lláh Khádim; 1904–1986) was an Iranian follower of the Baháʼí Faith, appointed for life by the head of the Faith to a select leadership role as a Hand of the Cause in February 1952. The 27 Hands played a key role in the transition of power in the religion during the leadership crisis after the death of Shoghi Effendi in 1957. After his appointment in 1952, he dedicated himself full-time to serve the Baháʼí Faith and travelled extensively throughout Iran, Africa, Europe, the USA, and at least 50 countries around the world. In the 1960s Khadem and fellow Hand William Sears were the two most prominent Baháʼí figures in the Western hemisphere, and were responsible for both spreading the religion and maintaining its unity. Before 1952, he worked for a British oil company in southern Iran and the Iraqi Embassy in Tehran. He had proficiency in Persian, Arabic, English, and French that he used to translate works and communicate with diverse audiences. He authored several articles in Persian and English, a book about Shoghi Effendi in Persian, and 134 volumes documenting all Baháʼí holy places, submitted in 1977 at the request of the Universal House of Justice. (en)
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