Efforts of Mohammad Ali Effendi

Mohammad Ali Effendi’s Effort to save the Faith

Here we would like to bring few facts from the most authentic book which was written by one of the loyal servant of Baha’u’llah who was present with him from propagation till his death, he  narrated the incident as he has seen in his book “Risala” (Epitome) or “A Brief History of Beha’ullah: The founder of baha’i Religion” the book was published in 1914. The author was Mirza Jawad Qazvini”

Mirza Jawad Qazvini in his Risale mentioned the efforts of Mohammad Ali Effendi to save the faith here we bring from his book few paragraphs.

From Page 68

 When the dissension became deeply rooted amidst the followers of Beha, Mohammed Ali Effendi and some of his party, in obedience to the commandments of God, endeavored to have an amicable meeting with Abbas Effendi and some of his party to settle their differences according to the Word of God and His commands, as it was edicted in Kitab-i-Akdas:
“If ye differ in any matter bring it to God so long as the Sun is shining from the horizon of this Heaven, but when He sets, bring it to what was uttered by Him: Verily it suffuceth the world.”

Also he said in the Persian: “O different parties ! Step forward and hold fast to unity and be enlightened by the light of concord and unison, and for God’s sake, meeting together in an appointed place and expel from amidst you the cause of differences.”

Accordingly they negotiated with Abbas Effendi time and again to this effect and begged of him to appoint a meeting for God’s sake and elect a number of both parties to discuss with kindness and love the dissension and the causes thereof, in order to remove them and establish unity and peace. But inasmuch as unity cannot be established save by weighing the differences in the scales of the Book of God, and as the truth cannot be distinguished from falsehood save by what was decreed in the Word of God, Abbas Effendi never accepted their proposal, though they repeatedly and earnestly requested him to do so. Why..? Because he realized that the Word of God is in a direct line contrary to his plans and personal interests. Indeed, if the elected people will compare his doctrines with the commands of God, the truth will shine and prevail, but all which was taught by him, and his supporters in their meetings and epistles will be judged and considered sacrilegious. Consequently he strived very hard hereby he intensified the fire of hatred in the hearts of his followers to such a degree that it induced them to say against his brother, Mohammed Ali Effendi, and the other members of the Household of Beha’u’llah, such malicious things and stories which no respectable person would deign to utter. Beha’u’llah, glory be to Him, commanded His followers in many of His Tablets, to regrd and respect the Branches (Sons), and the members of His Household and reverse them. He said in His Last Will, the “The Book of My Covenant”, 

 “It behooves every one to pay deference and honor to the Branches (Sons), whereby the cause of God may be exalted and His Word elevated.”

Points from the passage

1.     Baha’u’llah appointed in his Will and Testaments two guardian of faith one after the other, that is Abbas Effendi and Mohammed Ali Effendi. Why..? normally the successor is appointed and that successor in his will nominate his successor, here Baha’u’llah was aware that Abbas Effendi will fail, and will fall in his pride and will promote himself and will make His teachings inferior, in His Will and Testaments he has given clear sign to the faithful that for sure Abbas Effendi will fail, then the faithful should immediately refer to Mohammed Ali Effendi.

2.     Why Abbas Effendi was not ready to discuss the issues with his brothers and faithful, it is obvious and clear that he will fail in that and he has to step down.

3.     The Will and Testaments clearly states that the Branches (Sons) should be respected Abdul Baha failed in that, hence he himself become Covenant Breaker.

From Page 69

He started modifying the writings of Baha’u’llah

The fourth step in this dissension, that the more his followers exaggerated his praise and qualified him by names and attributes which belong to the Diety alone, the more gifts he bestowed upon them and treated them with the kindest regards. This action on the part of Abbas Effendi encourage his followers and made them exalt him more and more until they violated fidelity and reached the state of blasphemy.

For instance, they took some verses out of Sourat-el-Amre (The Tablet of Command), and formulated them as a revealed tablet by Beha’u’llah for Abbas Effendi. They did so in order to attribute to him a station which belongs to the Manifestations of God.

Also Abbas Effendi made some changes in the epistle which the Servant of God, Mirza Agha Jan, composed and sent to Mohammad Mustafa Baghdadi of Beyrout, Syria; he added to it and committed therefrom a few things, and claimed that it was a Tablet revealed for him by the Beha’u’llah.

Furthermore Abbas Effendi declared that the sacred Tablet, which was revealed especially to his brother, Mohammed Ali Effendi, was revealed for both of them and used it as his own.

While our Lord, Beha’u’llah, was staying in Adrianople, Mirza Agha Han, the Servant of God, composed a paper wherein he mentioned the rebellion days when Beha’u’llah declared His appearance to the woeld. Abbas Effendi called that paper the Tablet of Rebellion and declared that it was a sacred Tablet written by the Supreme Pen of Beha’u’llah, and ordered his followers to read and chant it in their meetings. He did so, to impress on their minds the importance of his own days. Beha’u’llah before declaring His appearance, foretold the coming of the Hard Days, the Days when He will manifest Himself to the world. Becouse late He declared in many Sacred Tablets, that the Hard Days, the Days of rebellion, had gone by, but Abbas Effendi, in answering a question of one of his follower, said that the Hard Days were the year of the departure of Beha’u’llah. So, you see, how hard he tried to give his own days a great importance.

Notwithstanding all the changes in the Word of God, which Abbas Effendi has made, he without hesitation, attributed to his brother, Mohammed Ali Effend, the change of some text in the published Book of Heykal. It is not true because the Book of Heykal was published in the Days of Beha’u’llah and by His Command. Besides this, there are many copies of the Book of Heykal in manuscripts written in the handwriting of Zain ul Mokarabeen, who is well known to the believers of this sects, and if the published Book of Heykal be compared with any of said manuscripts, no difference of change whatsoever could be found therein.

Abbas Effendi boldly declared that the Text uttered by Beha’u’llah are not authentic, if not approved by him. His purpose in thus doing is to prevent his followers from reading the Word of God, in order that may not discover his disloyalty to the Sacred Books in his sayings, teachings, action, declarations, as well as in his writings. 

Abbas Effendi made Children of Baha’u’llah to beg for livelihood

From Page 71

The fifth steps in this dissension was, four years after the Departure of Beha’u’llah, Abbas Effendi, with his adherents, held a meeting and decided not to give to the Sacred Family of Beha’u’llah, nor the brothers, anything of the necessities of living, consequently Abbas Effendi ceased to deliver to or send them their portion of the daily expenses. And as they have no other means, there was no other way than to borrow money for their daily bread, and this caused them to become heavily indebted. This was not at all expected from Abbas Effendi, because the sums of money which the believers sent from all countries were not especially for him alone, but for every member of the Household of Beha. Yet, boldly he deprived them of theirdaily bread and squandered their portion among the officials of the Government and others that he may satisfy his desires and gain his points. Indeed, there is no justice nor equity, neither has he the right to do such an action.

Wicked treatment to his dying brother Zia’u’llah Effendi

The sixth steps was six years after the Departure of Beha’u’llah, when the Branch Zia’u’llah Effendi become very sick, because of the sever effects of this sad dissension on him. The Branch was taken, after a long siege of sickness at Akka, to the city of Haifa for a change. There though he become worse, and very seriously ill for many days, yet his brother Abbas Effendi did not visit him, and allowed no one of his family nor of his followers to do so. On the 20^th of October, 1898, A,D., the end came, and Zi’u’llah Effendi died.

On hearing the news Abbas Effendi came and looked at the face of his dead brother for a few minutes and returned back to his home. On the next day Abbas Effendi accompanied the funeral to the gate of the city, then he went to the Palace of Behaj for little while, and from there he returned to Akka without attending the burial of his brother, neither did he allow his wife, his children, nor any of his followers to attend.

The strange event which occurred on that day was, that none of the followers of Abbas Effendi closed his store or stopped his business or work, as it is customary on such occasions. Instead they all manifested reat pleasure and happiness and drank with each other the refreshments which are especially used at feast. This behavior surprised and astonished all the people, near and far strangers and relatives.

Abbas Effendi tried to abduct the wife of late brother Zia’u’llah Effendi.

Page 72

As the parents and brothers of the widow of the late Zia’u’llah Effendi were of the followers of Abbas Effendi, he called them and urged them to bring her to him. Becouse she remained faithful and devoted her life to serve the mother of her late husband (the widow of Beha’u’llah), and thus she lived with her grace at the palace of Behja. The plan of abducting the mourning widow was as follows:

Abbas Effendi sent her parents and brother to the Sacred Tomb of Beha, at Behja. There they sent a women of the followers of Abbas Effendi to the Mother of the Branches, to ask Her Grace to permit the widow to come to the Sacred Tomb, in order to meet her parent and brother. The permission was gieven, and the parents and the brother received the widow very cordially and showed her exteme love and kindness, and they occupied her in conversation unti they all went out of the Sacred Place. Then, the parents seized her hands and feet and the brother carried her and tried to bring her to a carriage standing near by, wherein the wife of Abbas Effendi was waiting and prepared to drive with her home. Some others were also helping them in the aduction. The veil and slippers of the widow fell down while struggling to free herself, and thus bareheaded and bafefooted she called loudly for help, saying “ O beha! Help! They are taking me by force !”

This event took place when Mohammed Ali Effendi and Badi’u’llah Effendi were not at Behja. But the servant of God and few others were there, and it happened myself and other believers were coming to cisit the Sacred Tomb and heard her calling for help. So we came and freed her. When Abbas Effendi saw the failure of his efforts, he told one on his followers to write a letter in direct contrary to the facts, and the father of the widow signed it, and it was sent to Cario, Egypt, to Haj Mirza Hassan Khorasani, who by the order of Abbas Effendi published and distributed it in different countries.