A Lost History of the Baha’i Faith

Foreword by Maliha and Negar Bahai (Grand daughters of Baha'u'llah)

We are great-granddaughters of Baha’u’llah. As sisters growing up in Haifa, in a house only a few blocks away from the Baha’i shrines on Mount Carmel, we witnessed the growth of the Baha’i faith firsthand. Our cousin, Shoghi Rabbani, was the recognized leader of the Baha’i community, and our home was filled with artifacts of the early days of the faith, such as original calligraphies of Baha’u’llah’s tablets hanging on the walls.

We grew up surrounded by Baha’ism; we believed in the teachings of our distinguished ancestor — yet we, our parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, and numerous cousins, were not allowed to be members of the religious organization bearing his name. We were excluded by our own relatives and their followers because of a difference of opinion about the religion. We were invisible Baha’is. Our very existence was unknown to most of the Baha’i world.

This did not deter us from practicing our faith. Our lives reflect the international and interfaith spirit of Baha’u’llah’s teachings. Maliha married a Muslim man from India and has four children. One son lives in Canada, one daughter in England, one son in Germany, and one son still lives in the subcontinent. Negar married an Israeli Jew, whose distinguished career as an economist enabled them to travel all over the world during his life. Today, she lives in the same childhood home in Haifa, where she celebrates the holidays of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam with her diverse friends.

Our father, Mousa Bahai, was the head of the land registration office in Haifa, and was president of the Haifa Rotary Club for two years running, during the conflict between the Arabs and Jews in 1947-48. Rotary wanted a neutral person and he accepted. He was called upon often to make peace between the two communities. We lived in the mixed quarter and the Jewish Haganah (defense) office was next door. Now the building is destined to be a “Diamond Hotel” which is fashionable in the German [Templar] Colony, inundated by European tourists.

Our mother, Kamar, was a very beautiful woman and had a feisty and assertive personality. She wrote pamphlets and letters to the newspaper about Baha’ism which you will read in this book. Not only that, she took Shoghi Rabbani to court because he had prohibited her and other family members from visiting Baha’u’llah’s tomb. We are proud to say that our mother won; Shoghi settled the case. Because of her courageous action, the whole family now enjoys the right to pray at the Shrine of Baha’u’llah, which is located next to the house where our grandfathers lived much of their lives. Both of our parents were born in this mansion and were married there. We have pictures to that effect.

We are descended from Baha’u’llah on both sides of our family, because our parents were cousins. Marriage between cousins used to be common in the Middle East. In fact, our great-grandmother Fatimah was Baha’u’llah’s cousin and became his second wife. He lived with her and their children in the mansion of Bahji in his later years and called her Mahd-i-‘Ulya, the honorific title of the mother of the Shah of Persia. Our great-grandmother held a place of high honor in the Baha’i faith in those days, and Baha’u’llah was closely involved in the upbringing of their sons.

Our father was the youngest son of Mohammed Ali, who was the eldest son of Baha’u’llah and Mahd-i-‘Ulya. Our mother was a daughter of Badi Ullah, who was Mohammed Ali’s youngest brother. Both of our grandfathers were therefore half-brothers of Abbas Effendi, who was the eldest son of Baha’u’llah by his first wife.

We remember our elder grandfather, Mohammed Ali, as a quiet and prayerful man, a kind soul who never asked much for himself. Contrary to Middle Eastern tradition, he insisted that he and our grandmother not be given any special treatment or deference when they moved in with our parents in their old age; instead, he urged our parents to continue living their lives exactly as before.

This self-deprecating and generous spirit was characteristic of his personality. He was mild-mannered and avoided conflict. He rejected traditions that placed one human being above another. He studied the scriptures dutifully and was highly skilled in the art of calligraphy, and he created many beautiful inscriptions of the inspired verses revealed by his father whom he loved and served his whole life. We recall him always being down on his knees in prayer and among his artwork of calligraphy that he loved.

Negar remembers that when she was three years old, one day our grandfather Mohammed Ali was visiting and forgot to bring a gift that he had promised to bring on his visit. Negar was so disappointed that she slapped him in the face! But he asked our mother not to rebuke her, as he had not kept his promise. The same day, he wrote a verse of poetry especially for Negar, and in later years she appreciated it and was very flattered. It says in Persian, “From your visage springs the Spring.”

Our grandmother, Laqa’iyya, was Mohammed Ali’s cousin, the daughter of Baha’u’llah’s faithful brother Moussa Kalim. She was given a choice to marry either him or Abbas Effendi, and according to the story she told, she chose our grandfather because of his mild manner and his wish to avoid religious debates.

At that time, the unfortunate conflict between Baha’u’llah’s sons was already brewing. This was before Baha’u’llah passed from this world. The brothers had very different personalities and this undoubtedly contributed to their inability to cooperate with each other after their father’s passing. For years beforehand, the branches of the family were drifting apart and preparing for what seemed like inevitable conflict after the unifying and overwhelming personality of the Great Master, Baha’u’llah, departed from the earth.

Jealousies may have played a significant role in the split between the brothers, because they had different mothers and Baha’u’llah lived with his second wife and second family. The story that has been passed down to us is that the families of Baha’u’llah’s second and third wives were kept at a distance during his funeral, while Abbas Effendi’s family was allowed to approach near to the body of Baha’u’llah. This was according to the Shi’ite custom of primogeniture and the primacy of the first wife, which the supporters of Abbas Effendi emphasized. Mahd-i-‘Ulya and her descendants thus saw their position suddenly downgraded and reversed, compared to the egalitarianism and close proximity to Baha’u’llah they enjoyed while he was alive.

Mohammed Ali had many friends of all faiths. One of his best friends was a Christian bishop. He was skeptical of absolute religious authority and did not want to see old patterns of authoritarian religion reemerge in Baha’ism after Baha’u’llah had given his life to free people from the Shi’ite clergy.

This skepticism and concern for individual freedom comes through in his writings, as you will read in this book, but he did not deny that his elder brother, Abbas Effendi, was the legitimate Baha’i leader. He did, however, believe that the focus of Baha’ism should be on the teachings of Baha’u’llah rather than on the charismatic leadership and opinions of any successor. This belief got him into trouble, because in the time and culture of the early Baha’i community — still heavily influenced by Shi’ite Islam — the eldest son was to be obeyed by the rest of the family, not questioned. As often happens between siblings even today, the older brother wanted more authority and respect, while the younger brothers wanted more freedom.

Our grandfather Mohammed Ali has been portrayed in Baha’i literature as a ruthless man who was obsessed with gaining power for himself and destroying Abbas Effendi. From the perspective of those who knew him personally, this is nothing but a laughable caricature. The man we knew was a gentleman whose religious beliefs were focused not on power or who should wield it, but on living according to the teachings of his father, Baha’u’llah, in his private life — a life of prayer, meditation, and cultivating a moderate lifestyle and a humble and kindly spirit.

The source of the dispute was in Baha’u’llah’s will, which says that he had chosen Abbas Effendi as his first successor and then Mohammed Ali. Our grandfather often mentioned Baha’u’llah’s teaching of the virtue of a gentle tongue and the danger of angry speech. Ironically, he was constantly slandered during his lifetime, and his rights and property were taken from him because it was not in his nature to fight back. He had opportunities to defend himself and his rights, but his devotion to Baha’u’llah’s teachings was so uncompromising and his personality so meek that he preferred to endure the injustices he faced with silence and resignation, rather than bringing the Baha’i name into the law courts. This was out of respect, not weakness — respect for the Baha’i faith that was so instilled in his soul.

Our younger grandfather, Badi Ullah, was more outspoken and less willing to tolerate the injustices he saw in his own life and the lives of others in his family. He was a charismatic and gregarious man and resembled, both in personality and appearance, his eldest brother Abbas Effendi. Late in life, he wrote a long memoir in Persian about his experiences with Baha’u’llah and his elder brothers and how the unfortunate conflict developed between them. It has never yet been translated into English or published, but we hope this will be done in the future. We cannot read it — we could have read it in the modern Persian language, but it was written in classical style, which is difficult. We have been told that our grandfather Badi Ullah tells a story which would be very controversial, even shocking, and an important addition to the historical record. We also have a diary by our grandmother Laqa’iyya which we hope will someday be translated.

To sum up, our grandfathers were strong and devoted believers in the Baha’i teachings — just as we are sure our great-uncle Abbas Effendi was as well — and the noble and progressive principles they inherited from Baha’u’llah were passed down to their children and grandchildren. It is sad that all the brothers could not work together for the advancement of the faith they shared, but we hope this book may help to make a start toward healing the wounds of the past that have hindered the Baha’i faith from understanding its own history and potential.

Within the family of Baha’u’llah, some of the descendants of Abbas Effendi are now on friendly terms with us, after many years of the branches of the family having little or no contact because of the lingering religious dispute. Although they still see things differently from us, and even strongly disagree with much of the content of this book, at least we are able to see each other as fellow Baha’is. We hope that all the Baha’is of the world will be able to follow our example of tolerance and reconciliation. If we can do it, you can do it — it is not necessary that Baha’is must always agree on all points of religion, especially about what happened in the past!

Our uncle Shua Ullah, who was our father’s eldest brother, was deeply in love with Abbas Effendi’s daughter Ruha when they were young. He tells this story in the book, as you will read. They wanted to marry each other, but they had to break their engagement because their fathers would not consent to the marriage. The brothers sadly regarded each other as straying from the true path of Baha’i faith, and therefore they would not allow their children to be married.

Religious and family quarrels kept apart these young lovers, who continued to cherish each other for the rest of their lives even though they married other people. Ruha Shahid kept in touch with Negar until her dying day. Ruha herself was expelled from the Baha’i community by her own nephew, Shoghi Rabbani, along with all her sisters, children, nieces and nephews — ironically, because some of them married descendants of Baha’u’llah’s third wife, who were also supposed to be shunned.

To think that this happened among Baha’is! And to think that it happened not just among any Baha’is, but among the immediate family of Baha’u’llah! We are all only human; that is the lesson of this disgrace. Even the people who were the closest to the founder of our great faith could not find a way to overcome their religious differences and they made their children suffer for it. If our uncle Shua and cousin Ruha had gotten married, perhaps this could have brought together the estranged brothers and they would have somehow resolved their disagreements, and the two sides of Baha’u’llah’s family would have been reunited and reconciled. Generations of damage and heartbreak could have been avoided.

We will never know if such an alternative history would have been possible, but it is appropriate at this stage that we contemplate such things. It is beneficial that wounds that have been covered over and never fully healed be finally exposed to the open air of public discussion among the Baha’is, that they may achieve true healing once and for all. Allowing ourselves to reenvision the past might open a window to a better future for the Baha’is and for the world at large.

The lesson is that love is more powerful than doctrine; that humans should be human first and religious second. As our beloved grandfather Mohammed Ali wrote, but could neither fully realize in his own life nor find fully manifested in the life of his brother Abbas Effendi: “We are all from one root and we are, therefore, members of one universal brotherhood; and between brothers nothing should exist which might contradict equity and concord, and from which differences might arise.”

Let the Baha’i faith finally live up to itself. Let it be true to the animating vision of Baha’u’llah — a vision of universal reconciliation for all the people of the world, putting aside the poisonous divisions of religion, the us-versus-them mentality and exclusivity that infects and debases religious organizations. Let the lessons of the past be the foundation of a better future, both for the Baha’is and for all other faiths. In our elder years, that is our hope and our prayer.

Comment by Maliha Bahai

In the mid 1940s, while attending the American University in Beirut, I helped edit and proofread my uncle Shua Ullah’s manuscript about the history and teachings of the Baha’i faith. He wrote it in English with the hope that it should be read widely by a Western audience. After all these years, I am happy that a publisher in the United States has recognized the value of my uncle’s work, and that the effort he put into writing his book can finally bear fruit.

Further Comments by Negar Bahai

In 2006 I was interviewed by two Israeli filmmakers for a documentary called Baha’is In My Backyard. They wanted to talk with a descendant of Baha’u’llah and they found me, even though Dr. Moshe Sharon, Chair of the Department of Baha’i Studies at Hebrew University, told them that there are no living descendants.

The Baha’i organization prefers that people not know that Baha’u’llah has dozens of descendants living all over the world today. Past leaders of the Baha’i community excommunicated nearly all of Baha’u’llah’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Baha’is have been taught by those leaders to believe that the heresy they call “Covenant-breaking” — challenging the absolute authority of the Baha’i leadership — is passed from generation to generation. What is actually passed on are different facts, different memories, and different points of view that the present Baha’is would prefer not to be known and discussed. Therefore they tell their followers that anyone expelled from the Baha’i community must be shunned by the true believers. So they don’t want to admit that people like me exist. Admitting my existence would be inconvenient for them, because it might cause the Baha’is to ask questions and find out things about the history of their religion that the present leaders don’t want them to know. I think the whole thing is rather childish.

In 2010, I received a letter from a young American named Eric Stetson, who explained that he had seen my interview in that film, found my address in an Israeli phone book, and wanted to correspond with me about my family history and the Baha’i faith. He said that he was a former Baha’i who still had an interest in the religion and agreed with many of its teachings. Seeing my interview had caused him to do some research about my grandfather Mohammed Ali and his beliefs and writings, and he was eager to learn more.

Eric and I have corresponded and talked many times since then. I have found him to be humble, open-minded, and a sincere seeker of truth. For many years I had in my possession a manuscript written by my uncle Shua Ullah and pamphlets and letters by my mother — writings that had never been seen by the public — and Eric offered to edit them and find a publisher who would publish them as a book. I am very pleased that he was successful and this book is now in print. After many years, long after they passed from this world, the members of my family can tell their side of the story of the Baha’i faith, and hopefully their story will be heard by Baha’is and independent religious scholars.

I want to thank Eric Stetson for his efforts in editing the manuscripts I provided him, compiling them into this book, and seeing it through the publication process. I also want to thank the publisher, Vox Humri Media, and its president, Brent Mathieu, for agreeing to print this work and funding the project. I owe a debt of gratitude to the fine souls who made this project possible, and of course to my ancestors who wrote down their memories and thoughts about the Baha’i faith and events that happened in their lives, without which this book never could have existed. In my elder years, I can rest in the satisfaction of knowing that their stories will not go untold, their life’s work was not in vain, and future generations will have the opportunity of learning the lessons of their lives and benefiting from their best ideas.

I am not a member of the organized Baha’i community, but that is not identical to the Baha’i Faith — even though they call it by that name, as if the religion were limited to an organization. The spirit of Baha’u’llah and his faith are present in the heart of every person who is a lover of humanity, who associates with the people of all religions with love and kindness, and respects both the diversity and the oneness of the human race. No excommunication is possible from such a broad and beautiful faith.

I was married for many years to Mordechai “Murad” Emsallem. As an Oriental Jew, he understood the Arab culture and spoke the language fluently. He had a company with his Arab friends during the [British] Mandate. Now, as always, I worship God together with my friends who are Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Sometimes I even invite them to hold meetings in my home, and I hold meetings on the Baha’i holy days and my friends attend. In my heart, my soul, my life, and my very genes, I am Baha’i. So were my grandfathers and all my relatives who believed in the faith of Baha’u’llah and lived accordingly.

I know it is difficult for people to change their minds about things they hold dear, especially when it comes to matters of religion and facts about the mythologized figures who were involved in historical dramas. Most people don’t like to see their heroes revealed as less than perfect and their villains rehabilitated — it would ruin the stories they have become used to. I challenge the Baha’is of the world to read this book with an open mind and an unprejudiced heart, as hard as it may be. Readers may find that the story of their faith is actually richer, greater, and more real in light of the perspectives shared by the authors of this book. We cannot know the truth about the Baha’i faith until we are willing to see the important characters of the Baha’i story as human, not as caricatures — whether that means acknowledging their formerly hidden virtues or their flaws — and hear all of their voices.

Although I don’t know whether the Baha’i faith will ever become what I believe my great-grandfather Baha’u’llah intended it to be, the publication of A Lost History of the Baha’i Faith makes it more likely that it could be reformed and the mistakes of its past be corrected. I trust that future histories will record that at least some of its followers and friends were sincere in the pursuit of truth, justice, and the highest principles and ideals.

http://www.voxhumri.com/books/a-lost-history-of-the-bahai-faith/foreword/

The Guardianship of Shoghi Effendi: Losses and Losses

1- Introduction

2- Shoghi Effendi did not shared the contributions with his family members

3- Shoghi Effendi excommunicates every member of his family

4- Shoghi Effendi usurps the custodianship from Mirza Muhammad Ali

5- The Daughter of Mirza Badiullah denied entry into the Tomb

6- The house of Mirza Muhammad Ali usurped by Shoghi Effendi

7- Shoghi Effendi was interested more in novels

8- Shoghi Effendi excommunicates his brother in law (Sayed Ali Nayyar Afnan)

1-Introduction

After the deaths of the Bab and Baha'u'llah, bitter quarrels regarding the succession arose among the believers. Fortunately on the death of Abdu'l-Baha no one disputed the succession. This, however, did not indicate that all the followers of Baha'u'llah welcomed the accession of the Guardian, and were ready to obey him. In the early years of the rule of Abdu'l-Baha, most of the members of the family of Baha'u'llah vigorously protested against what they considered unlawful assumption of authority on the family members.

2-  Shoghi Effendi did not shared the contributions with his family members

The honor of being Guardian was not an empty one, for in his Will Abdul-Baha arranged that his grandson should be well provided for financially. In the Kitab-i-Aqdas Baha'u'llah had commanded (1) that believers pay to God a 19% "Purification Tax" on capital funds (gold). This money was to he expended only as Baha'u'llah permitted. The payment of this tax lapsed at the death of Baha'u'llah, for in his Will he stipulated, "God has not decreed for the Branches [Baha's sons] a right in one's property."(2) However, in this matter as well as in others, Abdul-Baha disregarded his father's Will, claimed this tax for himself (in addition to the voluntary offerings of believers), (3) and in his own Will commanded (4) that "a fixed money offering (huququllah, 'the rights of God') to paid to the guardian of the Cause of God, that it may be expended for the diffusion of the Fragrances of God and the exaltation of His Word, for benevolent pursuits and for the common weal." This provision was omitted from the Excerpts from the Will printed in the Baha'i World 1928-1928 .

It is reported on good authority that Shoghi Effendi kept all the income for his plans and purposes, and failed to share it with other members of the family of Ahdu'1-Baha, who kept quiet lest they "make a breach in the Cause of God." (5)

3. -Shoghi Effendi excommunicates every member of his family

It seems that Shoghi Effendi, pleading inability to enter upon the duties of his office forthwith, retired into solitude for several years after his return to Haifa , leaving the management of Baha'i affairs in the hands of the older members of the family of Abdul- Baha. Bahiyya Khanum, the "Supreme Leaf," the daughter of Baha'u'llah" who had remained loyal to her brother, became the "titular head" of the movement, while Munira Khanum, the grandmother of Shoghi Effendi, who had induced her husband to make him the Guardian and successor, was the power behind the throne.

(6)

After a time, however, Shoghi Effendi began to realize the extent of the authority vested in him by the Will of Abdul- Baha, (7) came forth from his seclusion, and proceeded to exercise his power as Guardian of the Cause. Acting in accordance with the provisions of the Will, he "took over the reins of the Baha'i Administration, and demanded ready and implicit obedience from the servants of God, in default of which any servant of God was liable to

excommunication or summary expulsion from the faith under some pretence  or pretext. His decisions were absolute and final and his words authorative."(8)

It is not surprising that this policy brought the Guardian into conflict not only with numerous believers but also with the members of his own family, and resulted in their excommunication. The first person to be purged by Shoghi Effendi was his grandmother Munira Khanum, wife of Abdul-Baha, the first lady of the Baha'i realm, to whom the Guardian, to a considerable extent, was indebted for his position. (9)

Later all the members of Abdul-Baha's family, his daughters, his descendants, his sons-in-law, the brothers and sisters of Shoghi Effendi, and last of all his own parents were excommunicated. (10)

Riyadh Rabbani, a younger brother of the Guardian, has stated (11) that he for years had assisted Shoghi Effendi in his work. Then when Shoghi excommunicated his parents he called upon Riyadh to make a choice between him and his parents. Riyadh decided to side with his parents" whereupon he was rejected by his brother. It seems that Shoghi Effendi's family accepted this severe discipline without resistance, for to whom could they appeal far redress?

4- Shoghi Effendi usurps the custodianship from Mirza Muhammad Ali

Several quarrels, however, took place at the center of the Cause, one of which was over the custodianship of the shrine of Baha'u'llah in Akka. While Abdu'l-Baha lived, he in accordance with Muslim law as eldest son had the responsibility for his father's grave. When he died the custodianship should have gone according to law to Baha'u'llah's eldest surviving son Mirza Muhammad Ali. Not' long after his accession to the Guardianship, Shoghi Effendi ordered the caretaker of the shrine to refuse entrance to certain people. Then the keys were taken from the caretaker by someone, and handed to the legal custodian Mirza Muhammad Ali, and neither the American Baha'is who intervened nor the British High Commissioner were able to dispossess Mirza Muhammad Ali of his rights. Shoghi Effendi could not go to court over this, for the Will of his grandfather which appointed him Guardian had not been probated, Finally, Shoghi Effendi approached the British District Commissioner, and he sent his Arab assistant who was on friendly terms with both parties to arrange a settlement out of court. This was done, the keys were turned over to Shoghi Effendi, and Muhammad Ali and his partisans were allowed free access to the tomb of Baha'u'llah, without let or hindrance. (12)

5-The Daughter of Mirza Badiullah denied entry into the Tomb

Many years later in 1952 the daughter of Mirza Badi'u'llah, Mrs. Qamar Bahai, went to Akka accompanied by a friend, and attempted to visit the tomb of her grandfather Baha'u'llah the caretaker employed by Shoghi Effendi was rude to them, and denied them entrance to the shrine. Whereupon Mrs. Bahai brought an action in the Israeli District Court in Haifa against Shoghi Effendi, to show cause why she was denied access to the tomb of her grandfather. She appeared in court in person accompanied by her counsel. Shoghi Effendi did not appear, but was represented by his counsel and two American Baha'is. The President of the Court, in an effort to settle the matter out of court, took Mrs. Bahai into his office and asked her if she would meet Shoghi Effendi for an amicable settlement, and she agreed. But to the great surprise of the President of the Court, the two American Baha'is rejected the proposal. Finally, the matter was referred to the Minister for Religious Affairs in the Israeli Government, who called in the parties separately, and worked out a settlement, whereby free access to the shrine, without let or hindrance, was granted to all members of the family of Baha'u'llah, and to this both parties subscribed. (13)
 
6 -The house of Mirza Muhammad Ali usurped by Shoghi Effendi
 
During the lifetime of Baha'u'llah, Abdu'l-Baha and his family had resided in the town of Akka, while his brothers and their families had lived in the Bahji Palace several miles from Akka near their father. After the death of Baha'u'llah they continued to live there, owning undivided shares in the property, but without the income, which Abdu'l-Baha received, they were unable to keep this large property in good repair. When Shoghi Effendi became the head of the Baha'i Cause, he naturally felt it was important for him to control all the sacred sites. He, therefore, proposed to Mirza Muhammad Ali that he and the others move out of the Palace to nearby buildings, that Shoghi might repair the Palace, and this was done. When they moved out they took with them the household equipment that they had been using, and Shoghi Effendi replaced this. (14) Thus the Palace also became a place of pilgrimage for Baha'is.

7-   Shoghi Effendi was interested more in novels

Simple events and incidents are distorted and misrepresented in the furtherance of private ends and personal ambitions. The cases treated in these pages [of God Passes By] are glaring examples of misrepresentations of historical facts." It was said that. Shoghi Efendi when a student in Beirut was very fond of reading novels, and God Passes By should be considered an historical novel rather than authentic history.

In reading this book one is disappointed to find that the guardian of a Cause which has professed allegiance to peace and love and world-brotherhood and absence of any sort of prejudice should have expressed such bitterness toward many of the members of his own family. He refers(15) to Baha'u'llah's second son Mirza Muhammad Ali as "the Prime Mover of sedition," he speaks of the third and fourth sons as "the vacillating Mirza Ziya'u'llah and the treacherous Mirza Badi'u'llah,"(16) and he calls the sons-in-law of Baha'u'llah "infamous" and "crafty."

8-   Shoghi Effendi excommunicates his brother in law (Sayed Ali Nayyar Afnan)

In his Messages also the Guardian sometimes condemned with great severity those who differed with him. The cable from Shoghi Efendi addressed to the Baha'is of the United States , which was printed in Baha'i News, No. 256, and dated April 15, 1952 , a part of which will be quoted below, is a sample of his style. In this Message the Guardian announced the death in Haifa of Sayyid Ali Nayyir Afnan, a grandson of Baha'u'llah, and husband of Shoghi's eldest sister Ruhangez. It is said that Sayyid Ali "had a charming personality," and associated with, and befriended, men of all walks of life." He expressed himself strongly as being opposed to the Guardian's policy of rejecting anyone who did not fully agree with him, and as result he was himself excommunicated (Azal's Notes, p. 1107) The 300-word cable begins thus:(17)

God's Avenging Wrath

"Inform National Assemblies (that) God's avenging wrath....(has) now struck down....Sayyid Ali Nayer Afnan, pivot (of) Machinations, connecting link. (between) old (and) new Covenant-breakers. "This alone (will) reveal extent (of) havoc wreaked (by) this virus (of) violation- injected, fostered over two decades (in) Abdul Baha's family....(who) was repeatedly denounced by Center (of the) Covenant (as) his chief enemy................... "

FOOTNOTES :

1.   Aqdas, pp. 50, 51.

2.   Azal's Notes, p. 316.

3.   Ibid., pp. 50, 51.

4.   Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Baha, Lancaster , Penna., p. 15.

5.   Azal's Notes, p. 52.

6.   Azal's Notes, p. 46

7.   Baha'i World 1956-1928, Vol. II, p. 85.

8.   Azal's Notes, p. 47.

9.   Ibid., pp. 440-442.

10. Ibid., pp. 53, 98, 340, 441-443, 680. One well acquainted with the Situation has stated that the chief cause of these unhappy family Divisions were "the love of money."

11. Ibid., p. 680.

12. Azals notes., pp.    91, 92, God Passes     By,   p.     356

13. Azal's Notes, pp.     92,   93.

14. Azals notes., pp.   341, 342, God Passes By,   p.     356 .

15. God Passes By, p. 247.

16.  Mirza Badi'u'llah died in Haifa on November 12, 1950 , aged 82.

17.  See Appendix II, #71.

Who is true successor of Baha’u’llah

Why God had ordered Baha’u’llah in his will and Testament to appoint two Guardians at a time.

Baha’u’llah’s Will and Testaments

Verily God hath ordained the station of the Greater Branch [Muhammad Ali] to be beneath that of the Most Mightiest Branch [Abdu'l-Bahá]. He is in truth the Ordainer, the All-Wise. We have chosen ‘the Greater’ after ‘the Most Mightiest, as decreed by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

Although in the last will of Baha’u’llah, “The Book of My Covenant”, Abbas Effendi was willed as a favor on him to occupy a great position, whereby he was clothed with the role of his Father, and on him was hung all the glory of his Father’s house, yet God had chosen as a command from all knowing all wise, his brother Mohammed Ali Effendi Ghusne Akbar to occupy the same position, after Abbas Effendi. Now, why had God appointed both brothers to occupy the same position one after the other..? Because the knowledge of God realized that the first appointed one Abbas Effendi, will not perform the function of that position. So it was necessary to appoint the Second brother Mohammed Ali Effendi that the function of that Great position may be fully performed.

What is the function of that Great position..? It is to impart to mankind the message of the most High to free them from the bonds of ignorance, through the teachings which were revealed in the Utterances of Baha’u’llah.

And as much as Abbas Effendi is claiming Divinity, he was so busy in his own teachings to support his claims, that he could not pay any attention nor has any time to promulgate the teachings of the Father as his writings and epistles and those of his followers bear witness.

But his brother Mohammed Ali Effendi, who was chosen after Abbas Effendi, claims nothing what so ever for himself. He declared that he is no more nor less than a finger-post pointing to Baha’u’llah and to His teachings, which suffice the whole world.

The Difference between the two Branches
Ghusne Akbar Vs Ghusne Azaam

Mohammed Ali Effendi (Ghusne Akbar)	Abbas Effendi (Ghusne Azam)
He tried to save the faith by asking to have meeting with Abbas Effendi.	He refused all sort of communication with his brothers.
He took care of entire family of Baha’u’llah, and stayed with them.	He ex-communicated the entire family of Baha’u’llah and moved with his wife and children to palace of Baha’u’llah
He focused in teachings of his Father Baha’u’llah and spread the awareness of faith.	He kept aside teachings of his Father and was busy in bragging about himself.
He took care of ailing Aghsan Ziya”u’llah Effendi as per instruction of his father “to take care of Aghsan.”	He abandoned his ailing brother and not attended his burial ceremony even told his followers to celebrate the death.
When Abbas Effendi stopped there monthly expenses he took care of family and borrowed money from friends to feed the family of Baha’u’llah.	He stopped their monthly expenses and kept all money and gift which was pouring from all over the world for himself and his children.
He was humbly meeting all the guest who use to visit tomb of Baha’u’llah.	He use to asked the people not to meet his brothers, and used to uttered bad words about them.
He never uttered single bad words about Abbas Effendi.	He called them Violator, covenant breaker, Mole, black ship.
He saved the widow of Zia’u’llah Effendi.	He tried to abduct the widow of his late brother
He arranged livelihood and house for Khadimullah Mirza Agha Jaan a servant of Baha’u’llah.	He beat him and threw him out of tomb of Baha’u’llah bare headed and bare footed.
He kept teachings and Tablet of Baha’u’llah intact.	He modified and destroyed most of Tablets of Baha’u’llah.
He called himself as finger-post pointing towards  Baha’u’llah.	He declared himself as center of covenant, return of Jesus, interpreter and infallaible.
He respected the followers and helper of Baha’u’llah equally.	He supported to only those who praised him and accepted his claims.
He never excommunicated anybody in his entire life.	He excommunicated the entire family of Baha’u’llah.
He tried to resolve the issue through Lady Templeton, His Son Shua’u’llah, Qamar Behai, to sit and discussed the difference and have open debate in front of believers.	He refused all such invitation since he was aware that he will lose.

This is the reason we Unitarian Baha’is believe that Abbas Effendi failed in promoting the teachings of Baha’u’llah and created the hatreds and conflict in family and society, hence he was spiritually excommunicated and his brother Mohammed Ali Effendi became the leader of faith, as Baha’u’llah has predicted and nominated two of his Son as his successor, Abbas Effendi failed and Mohammed Ali Effendi succeeded.

For more details of his corruption reader can read following articles.

1.     Secret activities of Abdul Baha.

2.     Mohammed Ali Effendi Tried to save the faith.

3.     Calamities falling on servant of Baha’u’llah.

4.     Abbas Effendi Disobedient Son of Baha’u’llah.

5.     Peter of Baha Ibrahim George Khairullah.