‘Abdu’l-Baha indicated to him that the Shah would be assassinated

When Mirza Mahmud-i-Furughi, an outstanding teacher of the Faith, was on pilgrimage, ‘Abdu’l-Baha indicated to him that the Shah would be assassinated and told him to warn the believers to be on their guard.

In 1896 Nasiri’d-Din Shah was indeed struck down by an assassin on the very eve of his jubilee celebrations. The Baha'is had nothing whatever to do with this deed but memories of the assassination attempt made by three deranged Babis in 1852 were still powerful. In its report the London Times supposed that the murderer was a 'Babi'. Only gradually was it realized that the Baha'is were not responsible.

(Servant of the Glory - The Life of 'Abdu'l-Baha by Mary Perkins)

Read More

attempts to kill ‘Abdu’l-Baha

In these years the Covenant-breakers gave up demanding that the Master pay for their upkeep but at the same time two attempts were made by them to kill ‘Abdu’l-Baha. Poison was twice placed by one individual in a jug of drinking water used by Him but on both occasions it was discovered in time. Another individual concealed a dagger under his clothes with the intention of using it to kill ‘Abdu'l-Baha but the attempt was not successful.

(Servant of the Glory - The Life of 'Abdu'l-Baha by Mary Perkins)

Read More

large tract of land was purchased and registered in the name of Mirza Husayn-‘Ali (Baha’u’llah

When Baha’u’llah and the Master set afoot the movement of the exiles from the immediate environs of ‘Akka, land was purchased in the Jordan Valley near the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret). At four sites Baha’is settled, making their homes.

South of the hamlet called Nugayb, on the eastern shore of the lake below the Golan heights, Mirza Muhammad-Quli and his family occupied rich farmlands. The original large tract of land was purchased for an endowment of the Faith and registered in the name of Mirza Husayn-‘Ali (Baha’u’llah). Later, portions were disposed of by the Master.

(Door of hope - a century of the Baháʻí faith in the Holy Land - Ruhe, David S (David Sieger), 1914-2005 George Ronald)

Read More

Feeding the British army in 1918.

‘Abdu’l-Baha had given the Baha’i farmers specific guidance in their agricultural development, and His instructions on the storage of grains allowed the accumulations which permitted Him to feed the population of ‘Akka during the deprivation of World War I and even-to aid the British army in meeting its needs in 1918.

(Door of hope - a century of the Baháʻí faith in the Holy Land - Ruhe, David S (David Sieger), 1914-2005 George Ronald)

Read More

Shoghi Effendi expelled his brothers, sisters and aunts from the Faith.

Shoghi Effendi... expel[led] his brothers, sisters and aunts from the Faith.

(Adib Taherzadeh, The Child of the Covenant)

Read More

Severe laws and harsh measures against nonbelievers in the Persian Bayan

…among those ordinances (of the Persian Bayán) are a significant number of… severe laws, which… prescribe harsh measures against nonbelievers, similar to the Islamic “law of the sword,” including holy war. The Bayán’s gate 5 of the fifth unity ordains that all lands must be conquered by the Bayán and the property of unbelievers must be seized unless those unbelievers enter the Faith. Gate 6 specifies the distribution of the spoils of such a conquest: objects that are matchless belong to the Point, and the rest are to be used for propagating the Bayán, paying soldiers, building places of worship, and aiding the poor and the community. Gate 4 of the sixth unity extols the five lands that were the first to receive the Cause of the Báb—Fárs (Shiraz), Iraq, Azerbaijan, Khurásán, and Mázandarán. Since these lands represent the Letter Há’, the five aspects of the human temple, the five layers of the name of the Báb, and the five levels of the affirmation of Divine Unity, God does not wish to behold anything in those lands except that which is most perfect and refined; thus it is not suitable for unbelievers to reside there. Gate 16 of the seventh unity orders Bábí rulers to expel all unbelievers from their lands except those who engage in wholesale trade that is useful to the believers. The same gate prohibits the Bábís from having unbelievers in their homes. Gate 6 of the sixth unity calls for the destruction of books other than those written by Bábís. Finally, gate 15 of the eighth unity ordains marriage among the faithful to bring into the world one who will sing the praise of God. Marriage with unbelievers is not permitted, and upon acceptance of the Faith by one spouse and its rejection by the other, the marriage becomes null, while the unbelieving spouse forfeits any claim to his or her property.

(Gate of the Heart, Nader Saiedi, page 340)

Read More