Nabíl’s Narrative - "Shoghi Effendi had fabricated the entire thing"

At the time when Shoghi Effendi produced Nabíl’s Narrative, the Covenant-breakers spread a rumour among their Arab friends that Shoghi Effendi had fabricated the entire thing and that only they possessed Nabíl’s narrative. Apart from that claim, as stated earlier, we also have a Tablet from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in which He states that the revised edition of Nabíl’s narrative was among the documents stolen by the Covenant-breakers.

When Shoghi Effendi set out to translate Nabíl, he had the instructions of Bahá’u’lláh before him, and we can be sure that he tried his best to remove anything that he felt was overstated or based on assumption. He gave us everything that he thought was authentic, and in conformity with the spirit of Bahá’u’lláh’s wishes.

(‘Alí Nakhjávání in Shoghi Effendi: The Range and Power of his pen)

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Covenant-breakers stole papers from the room of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. They stole two cases of papers that Bahá’u’lláh had given to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

I have already explained that after the ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, Covenant-breakers stole papers from the room of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. They stole two cases of papers that Bahá’u’lláh had given to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. They literally did this at a time when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was not in His room and was washing the body of Bahá’u’lláh. Those documents are probably still in the possession of the descendants of the Covenant-breakers. We do not know if we will ever recover them. Even if we did, they may not be reliable. Muḥammad-‘Alí is known to have corrupted texts. His brother, Badí‘u’lláh, wrote a confession that mentioned that he had seen his brother corrupt texts. In my own personal opinion, even if they were found, I don’t think we could trust them. However, the final decision, as I stated, rests with the House of Justice.

(‘Alí Nakhjávání in Shoghi Effendi: The Range and Power of his pen)

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Baha'is enjoyed the pilau and roast meat in the feast hosted by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab

Mirza Ahmad Sohrab and Shaykh Muhammad Husayn, both from Nayriz, hosted a feast on 16 April, a mid-day lunch at the Pilgrim House near the Shrine of the Bab. Few were given this privilege. More than 100 men were present to enjoy the pilau, roast meat and sour milk spread on the table. With so many present and only 28 able to sit at the table at one time, they had to eat in four shifts. ‘Abdu’l-Baha ate with the first group then retired to his room in the house of ‘Abbas-Quli.

(Visiting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Volume 2 by Earl Redman)

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Abdul Baha's prophecy about Israel

In the afternoon of February 13th, the American pilgrims held a special memorial meeting, for the departure of Mirza Abul-Fazl, at the holy threshold of the Bab, on Mount Carmel. Abdul-Baha attended the meeting and spent that night at the home of Abbas Kuli, near the blessed tomb. In the morning of February 14th, Abdul-Baha went to the hospice (the home of the pilgrims) close to the tomb of the Báb and sat in the parlor, facing the tomb of Baha'o'llah. He said: "The view from this hospice is very beautiful, especially because it faces the tomb of the Blessed Beauty and Acca. In the future it will all be built up between Acca and Haifa. Acca and Haifa will be joined together and will take the first place in the world. Now, as I glance into the future, I see the greatest port in the world here. This semi-circular bay will be a large harbor for ships, so that the entering boats may be protected from the waves and winds of the storm. This harbor will be filled with ships of the nations. All of these regions will be decorated by buildings and lofty palaces. Many gardens and flower beds will be made. There will be electric lights and from here to Acca will be flooded with them. It will be a wonderful sight, especially at night, for those who come from the sea or who look from the summit of the mountains. From all of these regions, the cry of 'Ya-Baha-el-Abha!', (O Thou Glorious of the Most Glorious!) shall rise. All the souls will come in a state of supplication, imploring and chanting the communes. In every town, the melodies from the Mashrak-el-Azkar on this Mount Carmel, will be most pleasing to the ears.

"It is wonderful! Consider where this Cause was at first and where it is now! And where is Shiraz, Teheran, Bagdad, Roumelia, Constantinople and Acca! These events took place only for the fulfillment of the prophecies of the prophets. God's ways are wonderful. For 2,000 years, he has made the Cause travel here and there, until it reached the spot in which it would fulfill all the prophecies. God will, unquestionably, declare openly the Prince of Peace, of whom he spoke, through the prophets, and he will not erase a single letter."

(Star of the West, Volume 9 - Issue 3)

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Good quality Baha’is

I cannot understand, she said, why the friends show their concern and anxiety when simple-hearted people come into the Faith, who just say that they believe in Baha’u’llah, and who do not know much about the Faith. You want quality. But to get the quality, you need the quantity. Suppose we have 100 Baha’is and we find only 5 good Baha’is; let us calculate further and say that if we have 1,000 Baha’is, we will again have 50 good Baha’is and if we have 5,000 Baha’is, the number of good Baha’is will naturally increase. Go on multiplying the number of Baha’is and you will also get the quality Baha’is.

(Amatu’l-Baha Visits India by Violette Nakhjavani)

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We can only stop teaching the Faith when the Government of the country asks us to stop

She [Ruhiyyih Khanum] further remarked that we have 900 years more to consolidate but we do not know how many more years we will have to teach the Cause. We can only stop teaching the Faith when the Government of the country asks us to stop because, according to Baha’u’llah’s law, it is our Article of Faith to obey the Government of the country in which we reside.

(Amatu’l-Baha Visits India by Violette Nakhjavani)

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It was not Baha'u'llah but Shoghi Effendi who established the institutional forms for dealing with Covenant-breaking

It is of interest that there has only been a gradual implementation of the sanctions against Covenant-breakers and those continuing to associate with them. Many of Bahá'u'lláh's writings contain passages instructing the Bahá'ís to avoid contacts with the Covenant-breakers (see passages quoted by `Abdu'l-Bahá in SoW 13:19-25). Despite this, Bahá'u'lláh seems to have made little effort to enforce such a teaching. During the whole of Bahá'u'lláh's ministry, there appear to have been extensive contacts between Bahá'ís and Azalís. In the first few years after Bahá'u'lláh put forward his claims, there was a series of open discussions between the two groups in various towns, each attempting to win the other over. Such meetings are known to have occurred in Baghdad, Tabriz, Qazvin, Shiraz, and Isfahan at least. There is some evidence that meetings were held and letters passed backwards and forwards between the two groups until a comparatively late date.

It was `Abdu'l-Bahá who moved the question of the Covenant to the forefront of the attention of the Bahá'ís and introduced the concept of Covenant-breaking. He expressed very strongly his wish that the Bahá'ís should break all contacts with the Covenant-breakers and sent envoys to try to encourage the Bahá'ís to do this. He rarely, however, imposed any sanctions upon those who maintained links.

The principal change that Shoghi Effendi introduced in the method of dealing with Covenant-breaking was to enforce the policy that whoever maintained links with Covenant-breakers himself or herself became a Covenant-breaker. It was also Shoghi Effendi who established the institutional forms for dealing with Covenant-breaking when he designated this as one of the responsibilities of the Hands of the Cause in conjunction with the National Spiritual Assemblies, although the final decision always lay with him (MBW 122-3).

(The Bahá'í Encyclopedia entry on "Covenant, The, and Covenant-breaker", by Moojan Momen)

https://bahai-library.com/momen\_encyclopedia\_covenant/

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Mirza Hadi Dawlatabadi, converted many but

One of Azal’s main supporters in Isfahan, Mirza Hadi Dawlatabadi, converted many but, as in Naraq and Kashan, several of these, such as Aqa ‘Ali Nur (d. c. 1294/1877)’ and Aga Muhammad Kazim, went to Baghdad and returned as supporters of Baha’u'llah.

(Baha'i Communities of Iran 1851 to 1912, Vol. 2, by Dr. Moojan Momen)

Mírzá Hádí Dawlat-Ábádí, one of the divines of Iṣfahán, who became a follower of the Báb, later supported Mírzá Yaḥyá, and was appointed his representative in Írán and his successor. During the persecutions against the Bábís he recanted his faith.

(Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh by Bahá’u’lláh - Kalímát-i-Firdawsíyyih - Words of Paradise)

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Marriage ceremony of Mirza Hadi and Diyaiyyih Khanum (parents of Shoghi Effendi)

The Mufti may be asked to chant the Marriage Chant at the Holy Shrine on Sunday.

My aunt invited the family of Muhammad-`Ali to come in the evening. They came and jeered at the simplicity of the wedding with great ridicule.

None of our friends knew that it was a day of marriage.

My mother, my aunt, and we four girls were together.

Aqa Mirza Hadi Afnan arrived.

We said "Bismi'l-lah!"

He kissed the hands of my aunt, my mother, and Diyaiyyih Khanum.

The Mufti chanted the Marriage Chants, and the marriage ceremony was accomplished.

(The Chosen Highway by Lady Blomfield, Baha'i Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois)

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Guardianist perspective: Shoghi Effendi did appoint his successor before he died.

Shoghi Effendi did appoint his successor before he died. The successor of Shoghi was the IBC (International Baha’i Council) that he created which was eventually dismantled by Ruhiyyih & the hands

The IBC that Shoghi created was not only supposed to be the embryonic Universal house of Justice (UHJ), it was also the symbolic child of Shoghi Effendi. Let me carefully explain.

When Shoghi first created the IBC, he himself didn’t communicate directly with each member face to face nor would he allow them to meet with each other. He would send messages to each member of the IBC by using Ruhiyyih as a liaison. There was a symbolic reason for this.

You see, each member of the IBC represented the different body parts of a child that’s in it’s mother’s womb, with Shoghi representing the mother or head, & Ruhiyyih representing the umbilical cord that passes messages from the head to the different parts.

When Shoghi died, it represented his child or successor being born, which was the IBC that he created. From the moment, the entire Baha’i world was supposed to turn to the IBC for divine guidance while it went through its successive stages from a child (the international Baha’i council & the International Baha’i court) to an adult (the Universal House of Justice)

If Mason Remy (the president of the IBC) were still alive once the IBC completed all its formative stages, then he would automatically become the second guardian. If not, then his successor would become the second guardian once the IBC completed all its formative stages to the Universal House of Justice.

But, as we all know, these divine transformative stages were not allowed to happen when Ruhiyyih & the hands dismantled the IBC, which effectively killed the child & rightful successor of Shoghi Effendi.

You see, Ruhiyyih purposely orchestrated this evil plan to dismantle the IBC once Shoghi died. She knew in advance that the IBC was supposed to be the rightful successor of Shoghi because remember, she was the liaison or umbilical cord of Shoghi that carried all the messages. So, she had direct knowledge of the entire, intended plan.

The reason why she did this because she knew once Shoghi died, she would no longer have a high position in the Baha’i world & would effectively become a regular Baha’i. Think about it. Once a child is born, the umbilical cord is cut off & thrown away because it is no longer needed.

This eventual circumstance was painful for her to accept which she was determined not to allow. So, in order to maintain a high position within the Baha’i world once Shoghi died, she along with the hands dismantled the IBC that Shoghi created & appointed themselves as the custodians of the Baha’i faith.

When this happened, which led to every Baha’i accepting this development, it effectively caused the entire Baha’i world to become covenant breakers. The Universal House of Justice that exists today is not the real, divine Universe House of Justice that was intended by Bahaullah & Abdul-Baha.

It is a empty shell without a head (the guardian). So, it does not possess the divine guidance of Bahaullah.

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Abdul Baha censoring family dispute from his followers

‘Abdu’l-Baha in his tablet to Mirza Abu’l-Fadl Gulpaygani states:

Concerned lest anyone from this direction should write something that would have contrary fragrances, this servant, despite his endless duties, has taken upon himself the toil of reading all communications and erasing anything that by implication or allusion is inappropriate. By your dear life! For four years now every day – in blotting out certain statements – I would imbibe a measure of ink, in the hope that the matter might remain confidential, so far as possible.

(Translators: Presumably ‘Abdu’l-Baha had to black out the unwanted text with ink. It is said that when using old pens, sometimes one had to put the tip on one’s tongue to moisten the nib and to get the right ink consistency. Therefore, it is very likely that ‘Abdu’l-Baha consumed a good quantity of ink just blacking out some of the ill-advised texts.)

(‘Abdu’l-Baha’s First Thousand-Verse Tablet: History and Provisional Translation Ahang Rabbani, Khazeh Fananapazir)

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How Baha'i scholars understand the claims of divinity of the Bab and Baha'u'llah

In his Qayyum al-asma’ and innumerable other writings of his last years, the Bab frequently and in various contexts uttered the words, “I, verily, am God, no God is there except Me” (or the like). It was his conviction that the eschatological ‘‘Day of God” had come to realization and that he was a manifestation of Divinity.

As, furthermore, “Divinity” and “Lordship” were conferred by the Bab on certain of his major disciples, they too made exalted claims. The Babi cycle came to be seen as the cycle of the manifestation of Divinity in the person of the Bab and the leading Babis. The eschatological ”encounter with God” (liqa’ Allah) mentioned in the Qur’an found fulfillment through the Bab and the “pleroma of Divinity” manifested by his exalted disciples on the “Day of God.” It is in this context, and in view of the Bab’s assertion that the Babi messiah, “Him whom God shall make manifest” (man yuzhiruhu’llah), shall utter the words “I, verily, am God, no God is there except Me.” that certain of Baha’u’llah’s exalted claims are to be understood. Both the Bab and Baha’u’llah claimed divinity by uttering adapted versions of the Sinaitic declaration of divinity, though they did not thereby claim identity with the absolute Godhead. They saw themselves as pure mirrors reflecting the divinity of the transcendent and unknowable Lord and as manifestations of the eschatological advent of Divinity.

(Stephen Lambden in "Studies in the Babi and Baha’i Religions (formerly Studies in Babi and Baha’i History) Volume Five)

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It is Baha'u'llah Who, in the Old Testament hath been named YHWH (Jehovah)

In a number of his epistles of the late ‘Akka period, Baha’u’llah clearly claimed to be YHWH, the Divinity Who conversed with Moses from the burning bush and whose eschatological advent as “YHWH of hosts” (“the Lord of hosts’’) was predicted by the Israelite prophets. In, for example, the following lines addressed to a Jewish convert to the Baha’i Faith named Aga Jan, Baha’u’llah writes:

The Face of the Ancient One [Baha’u’llah] hath turned towards the sages (hukama) in the Land of al-ha and al-mim [Hamdadan, in Iran] and announceth unto them the glad-tidings of the Ridvan (Paradise) of God, the Lord of all the worlds: “By God! He Who hath been named YHWH ‘‘Jehovah” in the Torah hath come.

On similar lines is the following extract from an epistle of Baha’u’llah to the Baha’i poet ‘Andalib (and others):

He [Baha’u’llah] it is Who, in the Old Testament (Torah) hath been named YHWH “Jehovah”...

A good many passages are to be found in the Tablets of the late ‘Akka period in which Baha’u’llah refers to himself as “the Lord (YHWH) of hosts” (Arabic: rabb al-junud). One such passage reads as follows:

This is the Day in which He Who cried out on the Mount (munadi at-tur) hath held converse and the Lord of Hosts (rabb al-junud) proclaimed before all the world: ‘‘No God is there except Me, the Mighty, the Knowing.’’

‘Abdu’l-Baha specifically identified the Biblical ‘‘Lord of Hosts’’ with his father and spoke of the “hosts’’ as the stalwart members of the Baha’i community.”

(Stephen Lambden in "Studies in the Babi and Baha’i Religions (formerly Studies in Babi and Baha’i History) Volume Five)

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Baha'i faith on evolution

THERE we see man, at the apex of creation. But in spite of the evolution of spirit through the phenomenal worlds there is no justification for the idea that man was once a monkey, a rubber tree or a piece of sulphur. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá clearly states that man is, and always was, a distinct species.

(The Missing Link By David Hofman - Published in World Order - Volume 2 - Issue 8, November 1936)

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Baha'i men not allowed to grow hair beyond the lobe of their ear ...not to shave their head.

"... not to allow the growth of men's hair beyond the lobe of the ear ... not to shave one's head."

"To wash one's feet; to cut one's nails; not to plunge one's hand in food (referring to the manner of eating)..."

(Synopsis and Codification of the Laws and Ordinances of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, pp. 48-51)

"Whosoever hath impurity upon his clothing, his prayer will ascend to God, and the Heavenly Concourse will shun him."

(Baha'u'llah: Baha'i Proofs, p. 87)

"Cleanse every impure thing with a water which will not change by the three (colour, taste, smell); beware not to use a water which is infected by the air (stagnant) or by any other thing... "

(Baha'u'llah: Baha'i Proofs, p. 86)

Above quotes can be found in

(The Throne of the Inner Temple compiled by Elias Zohoori - Kingston, Jamaica: National Spiritual Assembly of The Bahá'ís of Jamaica, 1985)

https://bahai-library.com/zohoori_throne_inner_temple/

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Keith-Roach’s understanding of the role of Shoghi Effendi was no doubt corrected after 1922

Keith-Roach’s understanding of the role of Shoghi Effendi was no doubt corrected after 1922, the publication date of a wide-ranging and informative book he co-wrote, with a foreword by Herbert Samuel and assisted by Sir Ronald Storrs among others. The book described the successor of the Master as ‘his grandson, Shawki Effendi’, and then added mistakenly, ‘who is life-President of the Council of Nine, which regulates the affairs of the community’ (Luke and Keith-Roach, The Handbook of Palestine, p. 59)

(Coronation on Carmel - The Story of the Shrine of the Bab, Volume II: 1922-1963 by Michael V. Day)

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Hamid Dabashi employs the qualifier “militant” nine times to refer to Ṭáhirih and her companions.

...in the span of twenty-seven pages, Hamid Dabashi employs the qualifier “militant” nine times to refer to Ṭáhirih and her companions. Hamid Dabashi, Shi’ism: A Religion of Protest (Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2011), 170–97.

(The Bab and the Babi Community of Iran, edited by Fereydun Vahman)

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The Babis were able to recruit from Ahl-e Haqq, Shaykhis, Ismailis and militant Akhbaris

The Babis were able to recruit from other nonconformist minorities, however. Though often overlooked, the conversions from the Ahl-e Haqq and associated “extremists” to the Babi movement were perhaps second only to the Shaykhis. Both as individuals and occasionally as a community, they showed greater receptivity, since their messianic expectations and their outlook, especially on the doctrine of prophethood, could be accommodated by the Babi Zohur. By the nineteenth century, Ahl-e Haqq had become largely a peasant religion with a syncretic belief system that had survived openly only in Kurdish, Persianized Kurdish, and Azari communities of western and northwestern Iran. But in all probability the geographical distribution of the Ahl-e Haqq included many scattered localities in central, northern, and even eastern Iran. The same is true with Ismaʻili village communities in central and southern Khorasan. Their receptivity to Shaykhism and then Babism came at a time when the Ismaʻili revival, first through the Neʻmatullahi and then under Shah Khalilullah and Aqa Khan had already kindled the messianic hopes of the ʻAtaullahi tribe in Southern Khorasan and Kerman.

Mass conversion among the followers of Mulla Mohammad ʻAli Zanjani (Hojjat), himself a militant Akhbari, is another indication of Babi appeal to nonconformist minorities. The socio-religious background of Zanjan Babis still remains a mystery, but certain peculiarities in their mass behavior betray the likelihood of religious extremism far distinct from the learned Akhbarism of the madrasa tradition.

(The Bab and the Babi Community of Iran, edited by Fereydun Vahman)

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Shoghi Effendi's parents were covenant-breakers

As I heard from the late Mr. Fatheazam, former member of the Universal House of Justice, Mírzá Hadi Afnan and Ziaiyyeh Khanum, parents of the Guardian are referred to as “unfaithful” to the Guardian. When they passed away Shoghi Effendi did not allow anyone to attend the funeral. He did it by himself to fulfill the duty of a son to parents only. Their resting places are in the Baha’i Cemetery in Haifa which I’ve seen. Names engraved on the tomb-stones are not written in normal Persian way continuously connected letters; but letters are written individually and separated from each other. As probably (my opinion) a sign of breaking their allegiance to Him. It looks like following: First one is name of His father and the following His mother

ه ا د ى ا ف ن ا ن
Verses
هادى افنان
And
ض ى ا ئ ى ه ا ف ن ا ن
Verses
ضيائيه افنان

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2209644753/posts/10157101923704754/?comment_id=10157103121339754

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Kalkaji Mandir, is a Hindu Temple, dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Kali.

The new House of Worship will be built just south of Delhi, on a highland site of eight acres overlooking both old and New Delhi on the road to Agra and Bombay and southern India. The land was purchased in 1953 as a goal of the Ten Year Crusade. The beginning of construction of the edifice is a goal of the Five Year Plan.

Rúḥíyyih Khánum, in a brief address before she placed the cornerstone, pointed out that all the Messengers of God — Krishna, Buddha, Zoroaster, Moses, Christ and Muḥammád, as well as the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh — were, in the utmost happiness and joy, watching over the establishment of this House of Worship.

The ceremony took place in a tent erected on the site that provided seating for 10,000 persons. Prayers were offered in 10 languages.

Architect Fariborz Ṣahbá designed the new House of Worship. It will be in the shape of a nine-petaled lotus, paying homage to the glory of both the Buddhist and Hindu religious Dispensations, which arose in India.

It is interesting to note that Bahapur, the district in which the House of Worship site is located, means literally “town of Bahá.”

Opposite the site is an area named Kalka. “Kalka Avatar” — literally “Manifestation of Kalka” — is one of the titles of the Promised One of the Hindu religion, which says that the advent of Kalka in the world will herald the age of peace, prosperity, and universal brotherhood.

(Bahá’í News, Issue 562, January 1978)


EARLY in the Ten Year Crusade the goal assigned to the National Spiritual Assembly of India of acquiring a Temple site for the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of India was achieved. At the time of the Intercontinental Conference in October 1953 an admirable site was found through the efforts of Shoghi Effendi’s representative to that conference and members of the National Spiritual Assembly of India. This site, a few miles south of Delhi, on the road to Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal, is so located that any building erected on it will be readily visible to the thousands who pass daily by rail or highway between Delhi and important centres in the southern part of India.

It is interesting to note that the village situated on the Temple land is called Bahapur (literally the village of Baha), and that opposite is a Hindu temple dedicated to Kalka Avatar. Kalka Avatar, according to Hindu belief, is one of the names of the Promised One of the Hindus whose appearance in the latter day will herald the age of peace, prosperity and universal brotherhood.

(The Bahá’í World, Volume 16)

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