- He hijacked the Báb’s movement.
He dumped the rightful successor of the Báb and hijacked the whole movement for himself like a power-hungry opportunist. - He was abusive, foul-mouthed, and dangerous.
This guy was a narcissist and a compulsive liar with a God complex. He cursed people out, abused Muslims, and even ordered hits on those who challenged him like the Azalis. - He lived like royalty but cried “prisoner.”
While whining about being a “prisoner,” he lived in giant mansions with private gardens—one had around 30 rooms! Pure hypocrisy. - He claimed to be God.
He didn’t just claim divine inspiration—he straight-up said there is no God but him. Full-blown delusion. - Failed family man with multiple wives.
He married at least three times and completely failed at raising his kids. After he died, they went to war with each other—cursing and slandering like enemies. - His family was a disaster.
The so-called “holy family” was the most fractured, toxic, and disunited mess imaginable. - Pretended to be Muslim his whole life.
He kept up the act till the end—posing as a Muslim, performing Saum and Salah, and even getting buried the Muslim way. Fake to the core. - Faked divine knowledge.
He studied Arabic, trained with Sufis, and had a big personal library—but had the nerve to claim his knowledge was “innate” and “divine.” Give me a break. - Ran away and left his family behind.
When things got rough, he bailed. Fled to the mountains and left the women in his family to fend for themselves. - His cult contributed nothing to the world.
His entire so-called religion gave zero value to humanity. Just empty words and cultish nonsense. - Started his movement after an erotic hallucination.
He kicked off his “divine mission” after what sounds like a spiritualized wet dream about a “maiden of heaven.” Total creep vibes. - Let people worship him.
His followers bowed to him, walked around him like he was the Kaaba, and he just soaked it up like a wannabe god. - Pimped out “believing women” to his brother.
Yeah, he gave women from his cult to his brother. That’s not just twisted—it’s predatory. - Wrote long-winded trash.
His writings are bloated with over-the-top hype and barely any real meaning. All noise, no depth. - Polluted a river with his garbage writings.
He dumped thousands of his own writings into the Tigris River. People say the water actually changed color from the mess. - Let people kiss his hands and feet.
He acted like a king, letting followers kiss his hands and feet—then called them “servants of God.” What a joke. - Claimed to be God but begged colonial powers for help.
He preached he was divine, yet ran to imperialists and even The Times newspaper, begging for backup. So much for being all-powerful. - Wrote a law book full of holes.
His so-called “book of laws” is a contradictory mess—flawed, inconsistent, and practically unusable. - Talked about religious unity while cursing everyone
else.
He preached unity, but anyone who didn’t worship him was called an infidel, a polytheist, or worse. Classic cult hypocrisy.
Friday, May 23, 2025
Monday, May 5, 2025
teach 1000 people, train 100 youth and 100 children
The first time you visit an area, teach. The second time you visit, teach again. This teaching is, in itself, deepening.(Dr. Muhájir, Hand of the Cause of God, Knight of Baha'u'llah, by Írán Furútan Muhájir, BPT London, p. 104)
It is good to ask one of the visitors to preside at public meetings.
When youth accept the Faith, it is good if their parents are visited so that the Faith can be explained to them. If they are angry, do not worry. Once they learn about the Faith they will not mind their children being Baha’is.
Everywhere that there are new Baha’is, organize children’s classes, prepare a programme of Baha’i education, help the Baha’is learn how to conduct an Assembly meeting, assist them to build a centre and visit their homes to say prayers.
When you visit the homes of new believers, avoid giving speeches. Talk to them and listen to them.
…concentrate in one area, teach 1000 people, train 100 youth and 100 children and the next year add to the number of pioneers and literature and expand the teaching to 2000 people.(Dr. Muhájir, Hand of the Cause of God, Knight of Baha'u'llah, by Írán Furútan Muhájir, BPT London, p. 120)
Dr Muhajir loved village Baha’is and they loved him in return. A rapport was always immediately established. He would say: ‘Friends, I was born in a mud hut like you. My grandfather was poor but wanted to give a university education to his children. He wrote to ‘Abdu’l-Baha and asked what to do. ‘Abdu’l-Baha replied, ‘Contribute to the Fund.’ He obeyed and all of us got a university education.’ Of course the friends loved it.(Dr. Muhájir, Hand of the Cause of God, Knight of Baha'u'llah, by Írán Furútan Muhájir, BPT London, p. 108)
The June issue of Nairobi Baha’i News reports that when he visited the community he ‘shared his ideas of a progressive teaching plan which aims at teaching families, house by house, and thus building a unit of community. This ensures that consolidation and expansion go together.’ He also urged the Baha’is to teach the children, as one way to get their parents interested. He explained that these methods had been tried in West Africa with great success.(Dr. Muhájir, Hand of the Cause of God, Knight of Baha'u'llah, by Írán Furútan Muhájir, BPT London, p. 140)
He encouraged those friends who had used such methods in other countries to travel and pioneer to Africa. He also encouraged the Iranian Baha’is to pioneer there.
Encourage them to read Nabil’s Narrative and The New Garden. Then encourage them to share what they have learned so as to show their understanding. Children must be taught the Faith the same way that others are taught, and when going out teaching, children should be taken along. This is how they learn to be teachers themselves ... Teach whole villages and families, teach everyone, so that all people are represented within the Baha’i community and we can build a solid foundation for the unity of mankind.(Dr. Muhájir, Hand of the Cause of God, Knight of Baha'u'llah, by Írán Furútan Muhájir, BPT London, p. 147)
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Abdul Baha's love for abgusht
(Memories of Nine Years in Akka by Youness Khan Afroukhteh)
a stew of vegetables and lamb
(Summon Up Remembrance, Marzieh Gail, p. 136)
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
What is expansion?
(National Bahá’í Review, Issue 110)
Friday, April 18, 2025
Why Baha’is should know more about Christianity and other world religions?
"The Holy Books of all religions—the Bible, the Qur’án, and others—are the foundation of divine education. Whosoever desireth to be a teacher of the Cause must be familiar with these Books, so that he may speak in accordance with their contents and prove the truth of this Cause from the texts of the past. For instance, if he be among Christians, he should prove the truth of Bahá’u’lláh from the Bible; if he be among Muslims, from the Qur’án; and so forth. Thus he may become an effective teacher and a promoter of the Cause of God."
(From a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, translated and cited in Star of the West, Vol. 7, No. 10, September 8, 1916, p. 90 )
"You must be familiar with the Scriptures of other religions, for example, the Bible and the Qur’án, so that with wisdom and eloquence you may connect the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh with the words of the past prophets, and thus guide the people to the ocean of divine knowledge."
(From a talk given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Paris, October 1911, recorded in Paris Talks, p. 143)
"The Bahá’ís should be well acquainted with the Scriptures of both Christianity and Islám, as these two great systems have influenced and still influence the majority of the world’s population. A thorough knowledge of the Bible and the Qur’án will enable the Bahá’í teacher to meet the inquirer on his own ground and to present the Bahá’í Faith as the fulfillment of the hopes and promises enshrined in these Holy Books."
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, dated March 13, 1939, published in The Light of Divine Guidance, Vol. 2, p. 79)
"He feels that the mastery of such subjects as the Bible and the Qur’án will immensely enhance the scope and effectiveness of your teaching work, as these Books contain innumerable points of contact with the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, and a proper knowledge of them will enable you to present the Cause in a more convincing and appealing manner to the Christian and Muslim elements."
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, dated May 10, 1936, cited in The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. 2, p. 295)
https://www.facebook.com/ShahramMoosavii/posts/pfbid0vGfFb3trmQpKVjzjLKzcjQ8ytdcPGBYwypWRHYQ7Aqf2TRvvDS461hhqQmJXJFg1l
Thursday, April 17, 2025
Baha'i growth!!!
Converting People, Entry by Troops, House of Justice (UHJ)
No comments
https://bahai-library.com/pdf/uhj/uhj_nine-year_plan_2022.pdf
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
The first Bahá'í funeral
(Shoghi Effendi Through the Pilgrim's Eye, Volume 1 - Building the Administrative Order, 1922-1952 Earl Redman)
First Bahá’i Funeral Service in the East
From Miss Effie Baker, at the American Pilgrim House, Haifa, we learn the significant fact that the services held to observe the passing of Mirza Mohsen Afnan were entirely Bahá’i without admixture of Moslem elements—the first entirely Bahá’i funeral service to be held in a Moslem environment. Thus slowly but surely the Cause asserts itself as an independent Religion founded upon new laws and teachings and giving rise to new customs and observances not reflecting superstition and man-made tradition.
(Baha’i News Letter, The Bulletin of The National Spiritual Assembly of The Baha’is of The United States and Canada, August, 1927)
I drank seven drops of the blood of Imām Ḥusayn
Know that the appearance of these verses, prayers, and divine sciences is the result of a dream in which I saw the blessed head of the prince of martyrs [Imām Ḥusayn] severed from his sacred body, alongside the heads of his kindred. I drank seven drops of the blood of that martyred one, out of pure and consummate love. From the grace vouchsafed by the blood of the Imām, my breast was filled with convincing verses and mighty prayers. Praise be unto God for having given me to drink of the blood of him who is His Proof, and made thereof the reality of my heart.
(The Messiah of Shiraz, Dennis MacEoin, Page 162)
Quddus’s own claims to divine status for himself are reinforced by many of the Bab’s statements about him.
from all eternity you have existed in the exaltation of holiness and majesty, and unto all eternity you shall exist in the exaltation of holiness and majesty. You are the one who is manifested through the manifestation of your Lord (anta ’l-zāhir bi-z ̣ uhūri rabbika ̣ ) and the one who is concealed through the concealment of your Lord. In the beginning when there was no beginning but you, and in the end when there will be no end save you; you ascended through all creation to a horizon unto which none preceded you.” In a section of the Kitāb-i Panj shaʾn written for Mullā Shaykh ʿAlī Turshīzī, the Bāb explicitly declares that “the last name of God has shone forth and flashed and gleamed and become manifest; well is it with him who sees in him nothing but God.
Within the context of such statements, it may be possible to suggest a fresh dimension to our understanding of the events which occurred at the Bābī assembly at Bidasht in 1848, which is generally associated with the abrogation of the Islamic laws (sharīʿa), the proclamation of the inauguration of a new age of inner truth (though not, I am inclined to think, at this stage the implementation of a Bābī sharīʿa), and the announcement of the imminent appearance of the Qāʾim. (A secondary objective of the meeting was to draw up plans for the release of the Bāb from prison in Azerbaijan.) In what is in some respects a curious letter, ʿAbd al-Bahāʾ states that “many have manifested divinity (ulūhiyyat) and lordship (rubūbiyyat). . . . At Bidasht, her excellency Tahirih [Qurrat ̣ al-ʿAyn] to the highest heaven the cry of “Verily, I am God,” as did many of the friends at Bidasht.” Brief as it is and lacking in direct evidence, this theologically uncharacteristic statement is nonetheless extremely suggestive and may prove an important starting point for fresh inquiries into the significance of the Bidasht gathering. It may well be the case, for example, that the recorded divisions between the participants in the meeting, in particular that between Qurrat al-ʿAyn and Quddūs, relate in some way to the advancement of competing claims of this kind.
Certainly a number of Bābī texts of the post-Bidasht period contain what would only a few years previously have been regarded as pure blasphemy. Some of the Bāb’s later writings, including numerous sections of the Kitāb-i Panj shaʾn, contain exordia such as “this is a letter from God, the Protector, the Self-subsisting, to God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting,” or ‘this is a letter from God to him whom God shall manifest.” Even more direct is the following passage from a letter of the Bāb to Mullā Ibrāhim Qazvīnī, Raḥīm: “ ʿAlī before Nabīl [i.e., ʿAlī Muḥammad, the Bāb] is the Self of God (nafs Allāh). . . and the name of al-Azal, al-Waḥīd [i.e., Mīrzā Yahyā Nūrī, Subh ̣ ̣-i Azal] is the Essence of God (dhāt Allāh).” In a letter also written to Qazvīnī after the Bāb’s death, the latter’s former amanuensis, Sayyid Ḥusayn Yazdī, declares “were it not for the existence of God in my beloved, the Eternal, the Ancient (al-azal al-aqdam)[i.e., Qazvīnī], I should not have addressed these words to you, my beloved,” and goes on to refer to the Bāb’s death as “the disappearance of God” ( ghaybat Allāh) and “the ascension of God” (suʿūd Allāh).”
Tahirih was definitely somewhat of a cult leader
Quddus and Tahirih were the most prolific writers out of the Letters of the Living so had the most vested interest in the Conference of Badasht endorsing their opinions on the reformation of Islam. Tahirih remained highly controversial even after the conference (perhaps simply due to being a woman) so it is conceivable to me the henna story (wiping men's faces with henna-covered breasts) is polemical propaganda that was used to damage her reputation, or it could be true. MacEoin's book does note surviving writings of Tahirih do state she had Babi's present food to her to be blessed before eating and other odd things so she was definitely somewhat of a cult leader regardless of if the henna story is true or not.
Monday, April 14, 2025
"For amid this turmoil opportunities will abound that must be exploited" and "winning of fresh recruits"
(Universal House of Justice, Riḍván 1996)
In a passage written on 18 July 1953, in the early months of the Ten Year Crusade, Shoghi Effendi, referring to the vital need to ensure through the teaching work a "steady flow" of "fresh recruits to the slowly yet steadily advancing army of the Lord of Hosts," stated that this flow would "presage and hasten the advent of the day which, as prophesied by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, will witness the entry by troops of peoples of divers nations and races into the world."
(Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1986-2001)
In his last Riḍván Message the beloved Guardian called upon the friends in all continents to exert strenuous efforts to assure the “early attainment of the goal of five thousand Bahá’í centers in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.” By Riḍván two years later, less than eighteen months after his passing, this goal was not only attained but exceeded, when the number of localities where Bahá’ís reside reached a total of over five thousand two hundred. This Riḍván, as a result of the continuing dispersion of pioneers and the winning of fresh recruits to the ranks of the Faith, the total has risen to the truly impressive level of nearly six thousand five hundred, a gain of no less than four thousand centers since the inception of the World Crusade in 1953.
(Baha'i New, Year 118, June 1961)
Saturday, April 12, 2025
the Seat of Guardianship
(Encyclopedia Iranica)
www.iranicaonline.org/articles/haifa/
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Most of the village of al-Nuqayb was purchased by Bahá’u’lláh and sold by Shoghi Effendi to the Jewish National Fund.
Superlative character of Baha'u'llah's Revelation
(Page 108 of “The World Order of Baha’u’llah”)
https://bahai.works/Bahá’í_World/Volume_14/Selections_from_the_Writings_of_Shoghi_Effendi_about_Bahá’u’lláh
one of the first acts of the Guardian
Dissimulation, Guardianship, Islam, Palestine, Shoghi Effendi
No comments
We, on our part, beheld a young man of only twenty-four standing at the helm of the Cause and some of the friends felt impelled to advise him about what it would be wise for him to do next. It was then that we began to know not only the nature of our first Guardian but the nature of the entire Institution of Guardianship, for we quickly discovered that Shoghi Effendi was “unreachable.” Neither relatives, old Bahá’ís or new Bahá’ís, well—wishers or ill-wishers could sway his judgment or influence his decisions. We quickly came to realize that he was not only divinely guided but...
[...]
...one of the first acts of the Guardian: Shoghi Effendi never set foot in the Mosque, whereas ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had attended it until the last Friday of His life. ...it would have been almost impossible for the Master to do, namely, to sever the intimate bonds Which had bound him for so long to the Arab community, particularly the Muhammadan community, of Palestine during many years when it was forbidden to even mention the name Bahá’í, the Guardian now did overnight and began to encourage the Bahá’ís to likewise do in different parts of the world.
(Ruhiyyih Khanum, Twenty-Five Years of The Guardianship, Baha'i Publishing Committee, Wilmette, Illinois - 1948)
https://bahai.works/Twenty-Five_Years_of_the_Guardianship/Text
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Shoghi Effendi on Palestine
(Haifa Notes by Ramona Brown - May 2, 1954)
https://bahai-library.com/brown_haifa_notes
Saturday, April 5, 2025
Building of the new World Order... there is nothing in the old world to compare with the work which we are doing.
House of Justice (UHJ), New World Order (NWO), Personal Observations
No comments
(The American Bahá’í, September, 1971)
https://bahai.works/The_American_Bahá’í/Volume_2/Issue_9/Text
Encouraging Baha'is to...
Baha'is are also encouraged to donate to the fund, which is entirely voluntary and there isn't any 'required' level of donation. Off the top of my head I don't recall official authoritative guidance being too demanding, but there is a lot of Baha'i 'folklore' which is sometimes cited by lower level officials and rank and file Baha'is which encourages people to be irresponsible financially to support the fund. Depends heavily on the community though and I wouldn't say it's been a huge issue in any community I've been apart of.
Mentoring isn't really well defined, it's language which has sort of popped up as part of the institute process. The Faith has no 'clergy'. In practice all the administrative functions of clergy are present in the Faith, but not the spiritual ones, so in my experience mentoring is, in theory, a way of fulfilling the spiritual functions of clergymen in other religions (i.e., studying scripture, teaching the theology, etc.), but instead of being an official appointed position it's an informal procedure. In practice it's more about getting rank and file Baha'is to encourage people to participate in the institute process, which is the formalized way the Faith evangelizes. The Faith's institutions are meant to be pretty hands off unless someone breaks a rule, so its official institutions can't really order people to evangelize, so in my mind the House is out-sourcing the task of getting people to support its teaching plan to peer pressure.
Baha'u'llah's last will and testament includes a passage about Mirza Aqa Jan which 'Abdu'l-Baha removed
Quoted in this article https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316833019_The_1893_Russian_Publication_of_Baha'u'llah's_Last_Will_and_Testament_An_Academic_Attestation_of_'Abdu'l-Baha's_Successorship
Severe punishment for those who fail to turn towards Baha'u'llah
“We have a fixed time for you, O peoples. If ye fail, at the appointed hour, to turn towards God, He, verily, will lay violent hold on you, and will cause grievous afflictions to assail you from every direction. How severe, indeed, is the chastisement with which your Lord will then chastise you!”
(The World Order of Bahá’ú’lláh)
https://www.bahai.org/shoghi-effendi/articles-resources/from-world-order-bahaullah
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Saturday, March 15, 2025
Shoghi’s critics must have thought he had betrayed his grandfather’s legacy.
Covenant-Breakers, Dissimulation, Personal Observations, Shoghi Effendi
No comments
(THE COVENANT OF BAHA'U'LLAH By Adib Taherzadeh)
https://holy-writings.com/?a=SHOWTEXT&d=%2F%2Fen%2FBahai+Faith%2F2+-+Bahai+Studies%2FAdib+Taherzadeh%2FThe+Covenant+of+Baha%27u%27llah.txt
Reason: Abdu’l-Baha presented the Baha’i Faith as a form of Islam to the people in Palestine, which is why he attended the mosque. It was Shoghi Effendi who openly declared it an independent religion. Shoghi’s critics must have thought he had betrayed his grandfather’s legacy.
Monday, February 24, 2025
Bahá’u’lláh expelled Mírzá Áqá Ján from His presence
https://bahaipedia.org/Mírzá_Áqá_Ján
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Abdul Baha telling women to tolerate their husband’s cruel actions and ill treatment.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Lights of Guidance, p. 226
Also this.
Now that you realize that your husband is ill, you should be able to reconcile yourself to the difficulties you have faced with him emotionally, and not take an unforgiving attitude, however much you may suffer.
Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, p. 227
Justin Baldoni
Adultery, Converting People, Personal Observations
No comments
I was raised as a Baha’i and let me tell ya they are all about converting people. They have books and a whole program dedicated to it but they call it “teaching.” Also, just fyi Baldoni presents himself as super progressive but Bahais believe being gay is a spiritual illness that can be cured and will kick you out if you have a gay marriage. They also believe that woman aren’t allowed to serve on their highest governing body (very feminist of him right?). As a former Baha’i I know Baldoni is full of it.
https://old.reddit.com/r/DeppDelusion/comments/1htld5m/bahai_billionaire_steve_sarowitzs_involvement_in/m68440g/
Saturday, January 11, 2025
Shoghi Effendi did not translate that part in the Gleanings
Abuse, Azali, Baha'u'llah, Censorship, Covenant-Breakers
No comments
O people of Bahá, drink this wine of everlasting life openly in the name of the Beloved, the Most Glorious, despite the enmity of the adversaries. Leave these artificial, dung-beetle-like forms to occupy themselves with the impurities of their own loathsome, foul insinuations. By My life, the True One! The nostrils of the cow cannot partake of this most pure fragrance, and this peerless, incomparable stream of the All-Glorious is not, nor will ever be, the portion of the people of error.
Original Persian:
ای اهل بها اين خمر بقا را بر ملا باسم محبوب ابهی بياشاميد رَغْمًا لِأَنْف الأعدآء بگذاريد اين هياکل جَعْليّه جُعَليّه را در خبائث اشارات کثيفهء منتنه خود مشغول شوند * فو نفسی الحق مشام بقر را از اين عطر اطهر نصيبی نه و اين زلال بيمثال سلسال ذوالجلال قسمت اهل ضلال نبوده و نخواهد بود
Shoghi Effendi did not translate that part in the Gleanings, I wonder why!
[1] https://oceanoflights.org/bahaullah-st-021-fa/
Friday, January 10, 2025
Splits, divisions among the Babis and nominating Azal as a head, and receiving contributions in Azal’s name from believers.
Baha'u'llah, Dissimulation, Juan Cole, Subh-i-Azal
No comments
The Nūrī household of four brothers from a great-landlord background was another focus of leadership. They seem to have made a self-conscious decision to put forward the youngest brother, Mīrzā Yahyā Subh-i Azal, as a sort of first among equals, and to attempt to convince the generality of the Bābīs to look to them, and to Azal in particular, for leadership. They were bolstered in this endeavor by a letter of the Bāb written before his execution that appeared to appoint Mīrzā Yahyā to a leadership role (Bāb 2001). The household consisted of Mīrzā Yahyā “Azal” Nūrī, of Mīrzā Husayn ‘Alī “Bahā’u’llāh” Nūrī, of Mīrzā Mūsā “Kalīm” Nūrī, and of Mīrzā Muhammad Qulī Nūrī. These were sons, all but two of them from different mothers, of the Iranian nobleman Mīrzā ‘Abbās “Buzurg” Nūrī, who had served in high governmental positions under Fath-‘Alī Shāh (r. 1797–1834). They were forced into exile in Ottoman Baghdad in the wake of the failed Bābī assassination attempt on Nāsiru’d-Dīn Shāh of 1852. Bahā’u’llāh was the treasurer for the household and for contributions received in Azal’s name from believers. He also screened Azal’s appointments and met with pilgrims, given that Azal’s position of leader put him in great danger from the shah’s assassins. Bahā’u’llāh himself in the 1850s was careful to deny that he had a high station or could work miracles (Cole 1997). Despite Azal’s reclusive style of leadership, and despite continual behind-the-scenes conflicts between Azal and Bahā’u’llāh, they succeeded in presenting a relatively united front from their place of exile in Baghdad (1853–1863). They continued in this vein when the Ottomans first exiled Bahā’u’llāh to Edirne in Ottoman Europe near Istanbul. He and his brothers and some Bābīs lived there November 1863 through summer, 1868, and it was midway through this period that open conflict between Azalīs and Bahā’īs broke out (Cole 1998a: 27–29).
(THE AZĀLĪ-BAHĀ’Ī CRISIS OF SEPTEMBER, 1867 by Juan R. I. Cole)
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Azal was an idolater but Baha'u'llah helped build Azal up for a “secret reason” (hikmat).
Baha'u'llah, Covenant-Breakers, Juan Cole, Subh-i-Azal
No comments
(THE AZĀLĪ-BAHĀ’Ī CRISIS OF SEPTEMBER, 1867 by Juan R. I. Cole)
Use of dark psychology and manipulations by Baha'i leaders.
Abuse, Censorship, Independent Investigation of Truth, Personal Observations
No comments
• "The Religion Of The Bayan And The Claims Of The Baha'is" is an analysis of the manipulations of Bahá'u'lláh and some of his sons, by Jalal Azal, grandson of Bahá'u'lláh's brother Subh-i-Azal and husband of Bahá'u'lláh's granddaughter Ismat.
• "A Lost History of the Bahá'í Faith" is about the manipulations of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, based on the work on Bahá'u'lláh's grandson Shua'u'llah.
• 'Abdu'l-Bahá's family is a website documenting the madness of Shoghi Effendi.
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Apocalyptic concerns and the Baha'i faith
(Babi and Baha’i Millennialism by Peter Smith, William P. Collins)
https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/34365/chapter-abstract/327336096?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Saturday, January 4, 2025
Abdul Baha's association with corrupt officers and keeping notorious prostitute girl in his own house
This officer was a staff Colonel and associated with military & civil functionaries. He had a beautiful step daughter, the child of his wife by former marriage, who gathered young men around her.
Colonel Badri Beg hired a house at Haifa to spend the summer season there. He attended evening parties of the French Consul and leading members of the [Arab] Christian community. They engaged themselves in gambling.
The Most Great Branch [Sir Abbas Effendi] met all the [gambling] losses of the Beg, and provided for the upkeep of the [Beg's] house, and for the expenses of the [Beg's] step daughter. Thus the step daughter came to have plenty opportunity. She became familiar with a good looking Italian man. At night they met together and indulged themselves in love affair.
Some people became aware of the affair and advised the Beg to send the family to Acre. As the Beg himself had connection with the girl, and could not send her away from him. He disregarded the advice.
Eventually the Beg came to know about the affair and this roused his jealousy. One evening the Beg detailed two soldiers to go and deliver a message to the Italian young man on behest of the girl to come & see her at night. The house was unattended. The occupant had gone to Acre. As soon as the Italian young man came into the house & seated himself in the drawing room, the two soldiers appeared at the scene, caught hold of him, strangled him to death, stuffed up his throat with a long piece of rag, took him away and cast him into the sea.
In their hurry & bustle, they did not tie a stone to his foot to keep the corpse at the bottom of the sea.
In the morning his mother and relatives begun to search for the young man. Finally the young man's body was discovered near the sea shore, strangled to death.
The incident set people's tongue wagging. His mother and relatives raised a tumult in Haifa. They held Badri Beg responsible for the incident and brought an action against him and also against [Sir] Abbas Effendi because he came to Haifa after and frequented the Beg's house."
I realized that the allegation against the Most Great Branch [Sir] Abbas Effendi reflected on the whole family. By strong arguments and proof I applied myself to proving that it was impossible for him to have been involved in the matter. I called on members of the bereaved family to offer my condolences. I seized the opportunity to convince them that my brother [Sir] Abbas Effendi had not taken part at all in the matter. The mother of the deceased replied: "If he had not taken part in the matter, and had no connection with the girl, why did he take her to his own home in Acre?" I endeavoured as far as possible to exonerate the Most Great Branch [Sir] Abbas Effendi as the allegation reflected on the family as well as on Baha's name. But I did not expect that he would take her to his own house. I went to Acre to see what had happened. I enquired from the Baha'is and others. I found out that he had put up the notorious prostitute girl in his own house, the 'Abbud-House', which was the dwelling place of the Blessed Beauty [i.e. Baha], exalted be his power, before his ascension [i.e. death].
(Page 76-77, The Memoirs of Badiullah [The Most Luminous Branch] Baha'u'llah's Youngest Son)
Abdul Baha's allegation of ‘European Prostitutes at the Bahja Mansion’
Abdul-Baha, Adultery, Muhammed Ali (Ghusn), Women
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I came from Haifa to Acre. I called on the Most Great Branch Sir Abbas Effendi. He inquired after my health and displayed the utmost love towards me. He then said: "The Most Mighty Branch Mirza Muhammad Ali took three European prostitutes to the Bahja mansion and put them there for the night. He then despatched them to Syria. He has disgraced us."
Although I knew that such a thing was not possible to take place, yet it caused some astonishment. I proceeded to the Bahja mansion and enquired from the Most Pure Branch Mirza Diyaullah whether any female guests had stayed for the night in the mansion. He replied: "The Most Great Branch [Sir Abbas Effendi] sent a note in which he said: "three female travellers from Europe will spend the night in the Bahja mansion. Entertain them to the utmost. In the morning they will be travelling to Beirut, accompanied by [their dragoman] Khwaja Baha." Agreeably to his directions [in the note] we entertained them, and in the morning they proceeded to Beirut, accompanied by Khwaja Baha."
Mirza Diyaullah "produced to me the note, which was penned in Sir Abbas Effendi's handwriting." These three women were from Europe. They were not Bahais.
(Page 26, The Memoirs of Badiullah [The Most Luminous Branch] Baha'u'llah's Youngest Son)
When Bahá'u'lláh was imprisoned in Tihran, the Russian Ambassador went about twenty times to the Shah to plead in His behalf.
The book contains many observations of 'Abdu’l-Bahá's household, daily routine and other visitors. The ladies also chronicle some the lessons they received, such as this recounting of the Exile of Bahá'u'lláh by Haji Mirza Haydar-Ali.
When Bahá'u'lláh was imprisoned in Tihran, the Russian Ambassador went about twenty times to the Shah to plead in His behalf, saying, "This man has no fault. He is faultless. Why do you imprison Him?" The Shah answered that Bahá'u'lláh must be punished because He had ordered the attack on his life (see history). The Ambassador said, "That is not a reasonable supposition; for, if He had ordered such an attempt, He would have ordered a bullet put in the gun instead of merely powder and small shot." The Shah acknowledged this reasoning but was determined to hold Bahá'u'lláh responsible so as to have a pretext for keeping Him in prison.
Again and again the Russian Ambassador went to talk with the Shah about the matter, and at last the Shah confessed that he was afraid of the influence of Bahá'u'lláh, and that if he should set Him free, it would create a great tumult among the people.
The Ambassador answered, "If, then, you fear Him so much, why keep Him in Tihran? Would it not be better to exile Him to Baghdad?" This was accordingly done, and an escort furnished of Cossack and Russian horsemen to protect Him from the Persian horsemen.
The book also describes in the chapter titled THE PICTURE OF BAHA'U'LLAH their impressions on viewing the photograph of Bahá'u'lláh
THE PICTURE OF BAHA'U'LLAH
The privilege of viewing the pictures of the Holy Bab and Bahá'u'lláh was accorded us just before we left Akka.
This remarkable photograph of the Blessed Beauty is the only one in existence. How perfectly that noble Face and Form embody the Words, "The King has come! The Kingdom and Power, the Glory and Majesty are His! He is the Lord of mankind, the Ruler of the Throne and of the dust!" and at the same time express with such Power the utmost Gentleness and Love.
One disenchanted Baha'i explains the relationship between Baha'is and Israel
I learned a lot about the history of the Baha'i faith in that region. The Guardian of the Baha'i faith once wrote a letter to the United Nations as a Palestinian. However, today, the only Palestinian Baha'is are labeled as "covenant breakers." It seems that the Baha'i community has taken a side in this conflict. I encourage you to read more about the history of the Baha'i faith in Israel; it can be quite enlightening.
I know some Baha'is who want an end to the violence in the region. However, I have also heard some Baha'is speak about Palestinians in a way that dehumanizes them. This shows that not everyone in the Baha'i community thinks the same way as the Universal House of Justice (UHJ). There is a diversity of opinions among us. Nonetheless, as an organization, a significant decision was made to fully support Israel. Throughout my life, I was told that we needed to ensure the safety of those who are exiled, particularly Persians and those working in Haifa, which justified our alignment with Israel. Yet, seeing many Israelis and American Jews advocate for the rights of Palestinians and call for peace without apartheid makes me realize how naive I was when I accepted everything as an unquestioning Baha'i.
Both Baha'u'llah and Abdul Baha wrote extensively about "covenant breakers." They believed that such individuals should be removed from the community, stripped of their land, and their descendants now identify as Palestinian. Reading their writings is both sad and shocking to me.
While Baha'is often share quotes about the need for Zionists to live in peace, they tend to overlook the strong language of hatred directed towards their own family members. I wish I had taken the issue of "covenant breakers" more seriously in the past. It makes me question why it is acceptable to sever ties with family in such a manner and still call it a religion.
The reason the Baha'i faith does not publicly speak out against Israel is clear: their holy sites exist with the permission and cooperation of the Israeli government, so they cannot criticize them. While that might be understandable, I have witnessed many Baha'is in my American community go beyond that and express outright hatred.
The Huquq was supposed to be a wealth tax to be used to reduce wealth inequality.
The Huquq was supposed to be a wealth tax to be used to reduce wealth inequality.
The UHJ has Huquq'u'llah entirely wrong. The first thing is Baha'u'llah ordained Houses of Justice in every city, not a single worldwide version. Secondly, they are to be the ones who receive the Huquq payment. When Baha'u'llah was still alive, He had allowed the collection of Huquq, with receipts, for the purpose it be dispersed to the impoverished. This is in BH00086 from the Partial Inventory. BH00086 is various letters to Shiraz in 1881 and remains untranslated by the Baha'i Faith.
The Bab and Baha'u'llah both declare the dispersion of Huquq must not be withheld. Those who do are not of God.
Huquq'u'llah is only to be paid if you attain 100g of gold or the equivalent in wealth. It isn't based on income, nor 19% of all income. The UHJ changed this to receive more funds.
Finally, while Baha'u'llah enjoined this on all believers, He also said it cannot be compelled and a person who desires to do so, has fulfilled the obligation.
I wanted to point this out because you are right, the way the UHJ interpreted Huquq'u'llah was to increase its own wealth so as to build shrines and widen capacities to do something no one is exactly sure of. If Huquq'u'llah was implemented exactly as the Bab and Baha'u'llah had commanded, I seriously doubt you would mind paying if you were to attain the minimum wealth.
https://old.reddit.com/r/exbahai/comments/1ht36jz/huqullah/m5auqb6/