In this holy cycle the "learned" are, on the one
hand, the Hands of the Cause of God, and, on the other, the teachers and
diffusers of His teachings who do not rank as Hands, but who have attained an
eminent position in the teaching work. As to the "rulers" they refer
to the members of the Local, National and International Houses of Justice…
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 4 November 1931, quoted by the Universal
House of Justice in a message dated 24 April 1972; ‘Messages from the Universal
House of Justice 1963-1986’)
