...From the time Bahá'u'lláh passed away in 1892 until 1929 Muhammad 'Ali and his relatives [who were Covenant-breakers] had been in possession of this home ... which had been purchased for Bahá'u'lláh towards the end of His life. This Mansion was now falling into a serious and pitiful state of disrepair, stained, rain-worn its roof caving in, its once lovely rooms abandoned or used as store rooms. (pp. 231)
The Covenant-breakers demanded of Shoghi Effendi that he repair the building, but the Guardian told them he would not go ahead with repairs until they moved out of the building. Ruhiyyih Khanum tells the rest of the story:
...Eventually it seems the situation of the Mansion reached a point where the Covenant-breakers had no alternative and were forced to comply with Shoghi Effendi's demand. On 27 November 1929, the day before the eighth anniversary of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's passing, Shoghi Effendi cabled a relative: ...Qasr evacuated. Restoration commenced, and on 5 December he wrote to one of the friends: ...the Mansion of Bahá'u'lláh, occupied for about 40 years by Muhammad 'Ali and his followers, has at last been evacuated and the enclosed photograph will indicate in what a state they have left it! Restorative work has commenced and the pilgrims are already visiting the room where Bahá'u'lláh passed away and where He passed the most peaceful and happiest days of His. life. Two years later the work was completed. Shoghi Effendi had had the building renovated and refurbished in all its original beauty...
...I remember how, in spite of the fact that Shoghi Effendi had possession of the Mansion, he was constantly irked, until the very end of his life, by the fact that Covenant-breakers still occupied the adjacent house. (pp 232)
(Our Beloved Guardian: An Introduction to the Life and Work of Shoghi Effendi by Lowell Johnson)
https://bahai-library.com/johnson_beloved_guardian
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