to consider oneself as more learned, more favoured, more accomplished, more righteous or more exalted is a mighty error and sin.

Those souls who have drunk from the sea of the utterance of the All-Merciful and are turning towards the All-High Horizon should see themselves as being of one rank and one station. Should this injunction be firmly established and be realized through the power and might of God, the world would be seen as the Abhá paradise. Verily human beings are exalted, as can be found in every Divine scripture; but to consider oneself as more learned, more favoured, more accomplished, more righteous or more exalted is a mighty error and sin.

(Lawh-i Ittihád, The Tablet of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh - provisional translation by Moojan Momen)

https://bahai-library.com/pdf/m/michot_tablets_bahaullah_3.pdf

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innumerable sects became the cause of the shaking of the foundations of Islam.

The Holy Law (Sharí`ah) of the Messenger of God [Mohammed] may be likened to an ocean from which innumerable gulfs branch out. And this is the cause of the weakness of the Sharí`ah of God among the peoples. Until now no-one, not kings nor subjects nor the indigent have understood the reason for this, nor have they appreciated how to regain that power that has vanished and the learning that has fallen away. Thus one gulf is Shí`a, one gulf is Sunni, one Shaykhi, another Shah Ni`matulláhí, one Naqshbandi, another Malámatí, one Jalálí, another Rifá`í, and yet another Khárábátí. Thus are multiplied the innumerable pathways to hell. Thus do the stones weep and the Pen of the All-High laments. Seest thou what has befallen a Sharí`ah whose light illumined the world and whose fire, that is to say the fire of its love, was the guide of its peoples. Well is it with those who ponder upon these matters and investigate them and are fair in their judgement. Thus did this difference in rituals become the cause of the shaking of the foundations of the Cause of God [Islam].

(Lawh-i Ittihád, The Tablet of Unity, Bahá’u’lláh - provisional translation by Moojan Momen)

https://bahai-library.com/pdf/m/michot_tablets_bahaullah_3.pdf

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Sudden growth also had its negative effects... Withdrawal rates jumped from one-third to one-half

However, sudden growth also had its negative effects. The vast majority of the new Bahá’ís knew little about the teachings of their new religion; hence many of the newly formed local spiritual assemblies had difficulty functioning. Withdrawal rates also jumped; perhaps one-third to one-half of the new believers did not remain Bahá’ís. Since the withdrawals occurred over many years, subsequent Bahá’í membership growth appeared to be less than it really was; for example, by 1979 the American Bahá’í membership had grown to seventy-five thousand, only fifteen thousand more than in 1974, but the increase reflected a much stronger enrollment rate than the net growth suggested. To complicate matters, some new Bahá’ís did not remain active but never notified the National Spiritual Assembly that they no longer considered themselves Bahá’ís. As a result, the percentage of the American Bahá’í membership with known addresses decreased. Nevertheless, the American Bahá’í community had grown significantly in size.

Not all of the expansion of the membership was caused by conversions from the youth culture. The Nine Year Plan was also the time when the American Bahá’í community first used techniques of teaching the Bahá’í Faith to large numbers of people. In the rural south, particularly in South Carolina, the African-American population proved particularly receptive and enrolled in the Faith by the thousands. Consolidation of the new Bahá’ís proved more difficult and occurred at a slower pace. In South Carolina, the Louis G. Gregory Institute was established in 1972 to educate the local Bahá’ís. Hispanic and native American populations also were attracted to the Bahá’í Faith, particularly in the Southwest.

The Five Year Plan, which spanned the years between 1974 and 1979, saw a significant expansion in the number of local spiritual assemblies in the United States—from 822 to 1,489, 89 more than called for in the plan. Diversification of the community also continued. The number of Bahá’í communities on Indian reservations with local spiritual assemblies exceeded twenty-five. After 1975, Southeast Asian refugees became part of the American Bahá’í community. Some had been Bahá’ís in Vietnam and Cambodia, more had converted in Asian refugee camps around the world, and others became Bahá’ís in the United States. After the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1978, Iranian Bahá’í refugees also began to enter the United States; eventually about ten thousand settled.

One goal of the Five Year Plan—expanding the use of radio and television for Bahá’í broadcasts aimed at the proclamation of the Faith to greater numbers of listeners, as well as deepening the faith of Bahá’ís, especially in rural areas—proved of great importance when the persecution of the Iranian Bahá’í community began in 1978. The American Bahá’ís had developed contacts with the media and, to some extent, with government officials. That experience proved useful in creating awareness of the plight of the Bahá’ís in Iran. Throughout the Seven Year Plan (1979-86) and the Six Year Plan (1986-92), press coverage of the Iranian Bahá’ís was considerable, articles about the American Bahá’í community steadily increased, and the consequent awareness of the existence of the Bahá’í religion in the mind of the public steadily improved. In 1984 the Universal House of Justice declared that the Bahá’í Faith was emerging from obscurity, a long-sought goal of the Bahá’ís.

(World Order, Series 2, Volume 25 - Issue 3)

https://bahai.works/World_Order/Series2/Volume_25/Issue_3/Text

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Removing a believer from the Baha'i membership list

Inactivity alone is not a cause for removing a believer from the Bahá’í membership list. Removal can be done only when the believer himself withdraws from the Faith or is removed from the list of voting members by formal administrative action.

(Baha'i News, No. 195, May, 1947)

https://bahai.works/Bahá’í_News/Issue_195/Text

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an administration they must obey

"Those who declare themselves as Bahá’ís should become enchanted with the beauty of the Teachings; and touched by the love of Bahá’u’lláh. The declarants need not know all the proofs, history, laws, and principles of the Faith, but in the process of declaring themselves they must, in addition to catching the spark of faith, become basically informed about the Central Figures of the Faith, as well as the existence of laws they must follow and an administration they must obey."

(Universal House of Justice, 13 July 1964)

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The Babi and Baha'i Faiths arose in the Twelver Shia Islam

The Babi and Bahá'í Faiths arose in the Twelver Shi`i milieu in Iran and are related in many ways to Shi`i belief, practice, and concepts.

(Shi`i Islam, Moojan Momen, 1995)

https://bahai-library.com/momen_encyclopedia_shii_islam

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Temporary Marriages (Mut'a, Sighih) of the Bab, Baha'u'llah and Subh-i-Azal

The Báb and Bahá’u’lláh both entered into temporary marriages (sighih). According to Bahá’í scholar Moojan Momen, "the practice of sighih, [is] a form of prostitution recognized and legalized in Shi'i Islam" (see The Baha'i Communities of Iran 1851–1921 Volume 1: The North of Iran).

The Báb’s temporary wife, Fátimih Khánum, was an Isfahání girl and the sister of the prominent Bábí Mullá Rajab-‘Alí. She was "married" around 1847, at the age of twenty-five, to "serve" the Báb during His sojourn in Isfahán.

After the death of the Báb, despite the fact that he had asked his wives not to remarry (see "Fátimih Khánum" on Bahaipedia, page now deleted but available via archive), Fátimih Khánum married Subh-i-Azal for one month. He later gave her in marriage to Siyyid Muhammad Isfahání (see The Baha'i Communities of Iran 1851–1921 Volume 2: The South of Iran).

---

Baha'u'llah married three times, first Asiyih "Nuvvab" Khanum in his youth, then his cousin, Mahd-i 'Ulya, whose family had been martyred; he had a number of children with each of these co-wives, in accordance with Middle Eastern customs of the time. In Baghdad he married Gawhar Khanum (the latter appears to have been a pro forma temporary marriage [mut'ah] of a sort required of Shi'ite law where a man had a live-in maid, and Gawhar Khanum had been brought into the household in the Shi'ite Karkh district in order to serve Asiyih Khanum). He had only one child, a daughter, with Gawhar Khanum). Baha'u'llah's eldest son and vicar, 'Abdu'l-Baha, later Interpreted the Most Holy Book to require monogamy. Baha'u'llah had altogether fourteen children from his three wives, including four daughters. Five of his sons predeceased him... Baha'u'llah died of a fever in 'Akka on 29 May 1892, at the age of 74."

("A Brief Biography of Baha'u'llah" Juan R.I. Cole, Department of History, University of Michigan)

https://web.archive.org/web/20170422142512/https://bahai-library.com/wwwboard/messages03/665.html

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how the idea of 750 rifles developed

About the firing squad, Sen McGlinn in one of his comment on Youtube, states:

The idea that the firing squad for the Bab's execution was very large is only found in much later reports. There are contemporary accounts that speak of a small firing squad, even a "platoon," and there are multiple contemporary accounts that say there was a firing squad, with no mention of its size, implying that it was what the observer and his expected reader understood by the term "firing squad." We also have some evidence about how the idea of 750 rifles developed, from bad translations and misunderstandings. This "transmission history" is also positive evidence that would have to be refuted to make a claim of a large firing squad plausible. I have some of the sources online on my Bahai Studies blog, under "750 muskets."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2ea2siOww8&lc=Ugz-UGy8ycywZ1Opn_B4AaABAg


This document contains multiple sources that have narrated the execution of the Bab in chronological order. These include multiple non-Baha'i sources including reports from British and Russian officials and etc. What is obvious, is that the earlier non-Baha'i sources do not mention the fancy miraculous and exaggerated claims that were later fabricated and propagated by Baha'is. It's an interesting document:

https://www.paintdrawer.co.uk/david/folders/spirituality/bahai/bab/Martyrdom%20of%20the%20Bab%20(Sources).doc

https://archive.org/details/martyrdom-of-the-bab-sources

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Abdu'l-Baha mistakenly calls Ja'far al-Sadiq "the seventh imam"

In a letter to Adib, Abdu'l-Baha calls Ja'far al-Sadiq "the seventh imam." Of course, Abdu'l-Baha likely knew Ja'far was the sixth imam, so it's a very minor mistake. He's a normal human, so you'd be right to shrug and say "who gives a shit." But for Baha'is who adopt the maximalist position that Abdu'l-Baha never made a mistake, it's a problem.

The letter is found in Mazandarani's Asrar, 1:82-3 (Phelps AB03482), which I typed up below. The context is the Constitutional Revolution, which Abdu'l-Baha says he asked the Baha'is to stay away from (there's a paper on the subject here). Sayyid Ali Akbar, who he mentions in the letter, kept him informed from Iran. Abdu'l-Baha is frustrated that some of the Baha'is aren't heeding his directives so he throws up his hands and says that God had other plans (a Shii idea called bada).

هو اللهان منادی پیمان ... در بدایت انقلاب ( انقلاب مشروطیت در ایران ( عبدالبهاء بنهایت همت کوشید که یاران بی طرف مانند و خیر دو جهت باشند ملاحظه شد که بعضی تأویل مینمایند و مداخله میفرمایند و نتیجه آنست که حکومت بهانه نماید و ماده بعضو ضعیف ریزد و جميع احبای الهی را قتل عام کنند و واسطه صلح نمایند و بسبب این قضیه حکومت نفوذ شدید یابد و اقتدار جدید نماید جناب آقا سید علی اکبر را احضار نمودم گفتم که آنچه خواستیم یاران را از مداخله منع نمائیم ممکن نشد بعضی مایل به مداخله هستند و این نتایج مضره بخشد حال محض اینکه این مداخله را منع نمایم میخواهم که عبارتی در حق مرکز سلف نویسم اگـر چنانچه باید و شاید قیام نماید فبها والا از قضایای مسلمه امر الله است . به حضرت امام جعفر صادق گفتند که ما منتظر معصوم سابع بودیم و سابعهم قائمهم میگفتند چگونه شد که تحقق نیافت فرمودند آن سابع منم ولی بدا شد خلاصه بمومی الیه گفتم که در قائمیت اما جعفر صادق بدا جائز بود حال اگر چنانچه باید و شاید معمول نگردد بدا سهل است .

He is God!

O herald of the covenant….At the beginning of the (Constitutional) Revolution, Abdul-Baha tried very hard to ensure that the friends remained neutral and well-wishers of both sides. It was observed that some were misinterpreting (my instructions) and interfering. The result is that the government uses this (interference) as a pretext to weaken and eliminate a member (of parliament), massacre all the divine loved ones, and make peace through mediation [i.e. play the peacekeeper], thereby allowing the government to gain significant influence and assert new authority.

I summoned Aqa Sayyid Ali Akbar and said, “We wanted to prevent the friends from intervening but it was not possible. Some are inclined to interfere and this will have harmful consequences.

Now, simply to prevent this intervention, I want to write a statement about the center of the predecessors [the Qa’im]. If he arises as he must and should, then good; otherwise, it is one of the settled decrees of God. They said to Imam Ja'far Sadiq, “We were waiting for the seventh infallible (imam), for as the (imams) used to say 'the seventh is their Qa'im.’” When asked why it did not materialize, Ja’far said, “That seventh is me, but bada happened.” In summary, I told (Sayyid Ali Akbar) that for Ja’far Sadiq, being the Qa'im was permissible. If something does not happen as it should, it is simply bada.

https://www.reddit.com/r/exbahai/comments/1co10og/abdulbaha_mistakenly_calls_jafar_alsadiq_the/

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Baha'i administration defends its image at the expense of justice

Dr. Hossain Danesh a former secretary of the NSA of Canada lost his psychiatry license after multiple sexual abuse allegations. Instead of being decisively removed or publicly condemned within the Baha'i community he was given a prominent role at Landegg University and later supported in returning back to Canada to conduct seminars, on topics like "Healthy Marriage and Family Life."!

In another case a young Baha'i girl accused her father (then chair of an NSA) of sexual abuse. Rather than prioritizing the victim, the institutions allegedly focused on protecting their reputation. Baha'i administration defends its image and its important people even at the expense of justice and victims.

See: 

https://web.archive.org/web/20170823184205/http://bahairants.com/hossain-danesh-heavily-promoted-by-nsa-1048.html

https://www.oocities.org/shirinstory/bacquet.html

https://bahaitheway.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html

https://archive.org/details/bahai-scandals

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The BIC owns the copyrights to the texts of the four Central figures of the Baha'i Faith and the texts of letters of the UHJ

The entire contents of the Baha'i World Centre Etext Server are copyrighted by the Baha'i International Community, Copyright (c) 1994, All Rights Reserved, as a collective work (compilation copyright). They may be freely redistributed in their entirety provided that this copyright notice is not removed...

The Baha'i International Community asserts that it owns the copyrights to the texts of the four Central figures of the Baha'i Faith (The Bab, Baha'u'llah, Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi) and the texts of letters of the Universal House of Justice, which are available for distribution by the Baha'i World Centre Etext Server, as part of its compilation copyright.

(February 1997, The Secretariat, Baha'i International Community, P.O. Box 155 31001, Haifa - Israel)

https://sacred-texts.com/bhi/cnote.txt

All material on this website, including but not limited to, text, photographs, images, illustrations, maps, audio clips, and video clips (“Content”) is protected by copyrights, trademarks, and other intellectual property rights. The Bahá’í International Community retains full legal protection for its Content under all applicable national and international laws.

https://www.bahai.org/legal

Trademarks owned by the Baha'i Administration

https://www.trademarkia.com/the-universal-house-of-justice-88806367

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Many tablets revealed to the women have been lost.

In a tablet to Aqā Shāhzāda, Baha'ullah says he is addressing her from the prison in 'Akka with a call that is sweeter than sugar and more luminous than the sun and moon. Baha'ullah says that she has drunk the wine of revelation, and taken hold of his tablets and writings (Baha'ullah and 'Abdu'l- Baha 2005: 208). In another tablet to her, Baha'ullah likens his words to precious gems and pearls which were hidden and which he has now revealed for her. Elsewhere, Baha'ullah tells Shahanshāh Baygum that she has been mentioned at the throne ('arsh) of God, and that her name has been recorded in the tablets, and that he has revealed verses for her so that from them she might perceive the scent of the shirt of her Lord (a reference to the story of Joseph; ibid.: 205). It is impossible to know how many of the tablets originally revealed for these women have been lost. In a tablet to Diya' al-Ḥājjīya, Baha'ullah says she has repeatedly received divine verses (Ibid.: 219), and in a tablet to her from 'Abdu'l-Baha we read that she received many tablets (alvāḥ-i muta'addada) during the time of Baha'ullah (Ibid.: 294).

(The Baha'is of Iran: Socio-Historical Studies. (2012). United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis.)

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Baha_is_of_Iran/H4YrBgAAQBAJ

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Indian believers teaching the Baha'i faith to Pakistanis!!?

India

Baluchistan site of teaching trip

An extensive teaching trip was made to Baluchistan, Pakistan, in December, by three Indian believers. Baluchistan is an arid and mountainous region.

The first town visited in the province of Baluchistan was Kalat. Nasir Shah, a new believer there, welcomed the travelers and arranged a meeting which was attended by many inquirers. The report of the traveling teachers said, “We held long discussions on many aspects of the Faith and during the course of these conversations, Bahá’u’lláh’s unfailing confirmation blessed the region of Baluchistan with a new Spiritual Assembly, the first in Kalat, where nine souls enrolled in the Army of Light.”

The team also visited the four local believers of Pasni, addressed some inquirers who had been studying the Faith, answered questions they had prepared, and had the joy of witnessing the formation of the first Local Spiritual Assembly as a result of the acceptance of the Faith by some of the inquirers.

Through the enrollment of an inquirer in Jiwini and in Khuzdar, two new localities were opened to the Faith.

(Bahá’í News, Issue 554, May 1977, Bahá’í Year 134)

https://bahai.works/Bahá’í_News/Issue_554/Text#Weekly_teaching_efforts_spreading_Faith

https://bahai.works/index.php?title=File:Baha%27i_News_554.pdf&page=17

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Payam Aryan about false claim of equality of men and women in the Baha'i faith.

Former-Baha'i Payam Aryan states:

People like you are unbelievable. Of course men and women are different, but not in their rights. Becoming a member of international consultation and decision making assembly isn’t a role that women are incapable of doing. All humankind are entitled to be treated equally in the terms of rights and justice. Your reasoning is so weak. According to your “role” logic some people can be masters and some people are their slaves. Don’t forget that even AbdulBaha hasn’t answered a question regarding this injustice and said in the future “wisdom” of this divine law will be known by all. He has basically deceived people by saying that in a “unknown” future the problem will be solved. Moreover, in Bahai inheritance law there are several inequities. The main house goes to first male child. The share of father is more than mother. The share of brother is more than sister and so on….. these are all in contradiction to the “equality of rights between men and women” teaching/principle. False Claim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V4pKaCw3VE&lc=UgyRG0BAHXx_DZcj5X14AaABAg.ATRd4j1VERVATSc6diYwX6

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Two Bahá’ís were arrested recently in Murree, Pakistan, for teaching the Baha'i Faith.

“Islam and the Bahá’í Faith” is the topic of weekly classes arranged by the Teaching Committee of Islamabad.

The youth committee in Karachi has arranged for deepening classes for pre-youth in that city.

Two Bahá’ís were arrested recently in Murree, Pakistan, for teaching the Faith. Their case is now pending in the courts.

(Bahá’í News October 1981 Bahá’í Year 138)

https://bahai.works/Bahá’í_News/Issue_607/Text#Teaching_campaign_opens_new_areas

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The New World Order of Baha'u'llah is Vitamin C

You can have a person that suddenly has a disease that bleeds all over, so you say "okay", we pick up all kinds of band-aids, and we put one bandage here and one bandage here and everything just to band-aid the person so that you wouldn't bleed. And then this person suddenly finds that his bones are getting very soft and cannot walk. We say "okay", we put all kind of sticks and wrap it around the bones so that he can walk. And the person becomes weak. And so we say "okay", this person is becoming weak so we find a couple of other people to carry him around or put him in a wheelchair. And then gradually the person starts not being able to breathe, and so let's give him oxygen. And if that doesn't work, we just give him a pump that constantly pumps his chest so that he can have the necessary oxygen. And it goes on and on and on, which is what's happening in the medical model today. However, if we had paused for a moment and say, "Let's see what is happening with this person? Could it be that this person doesn't have something that he should have?" And we investigate and find that he lacks vitamin C.

Transcript of: Creating New World Order by Hossain Danesh

https://bahai.works/Transcript:Hossain_Danesh/Creating_New_World_Order

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Iranian National Plan

He [Mas’ud Khamsi] once was a Director of the first television station in Iran established by Mr Sabet, his brother-in-law. Within the Bahá’í environment he was actively occupied with others gaining the goals of Shoghi Effendi’s first 45-month Iranian National Plan which consisted of the consolidation of all Bahá’í local communities, the reestablishment of 62 dissolved Spiritual Assembles, the formation of 22 new groups and the creation of 13 new centres throughout Iran.

(The Khamsis: A Cradle of True Gold by Boris Handal)

https://bahai-library.com/pdf/h/handal_khamsis_cradle_gold.pdf

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Baha'i villages in Iran

Sayyid Nasru’llah Khan Báqirof owned a group of six or seven villages south of Tehran in the area known as Ghar. These included Hasanabad (pop. 380 in 1951), Ja’farabad (5 km southwest of Rayy on the main Tehran to Qumm road, pop. 20 in 1951) and ‘Alíyabad (9 km south of Rayy, 1 km west of the Tehran to Qumm road, pop. 150 in 1951). A former resident of Báqirabad states that in 1950s Báqirabad consisted of a population of 110, of whom 65 were Bahá’ís. From about 1910 Báqirof encouraged Bahá’í villagers to move to these villages, especially from the villages of the Kashan area, which was being ravaged by Na’ib Husayn Kashani and the Sultanabad area. They farmed the area, growing grains and sugar beet and herding livestock. In 1918 ‘Abbas Mahmúdi moved to these villages and began to teach the Bahá’í children there. The Bahá’í villagers often talked about the Bahá’í Faith with the Muslims in these villages and in the surrounding villages such as Sayyid-abad, Khalazir (6 km northwest of Rayy, pop. 395 in 1951) and Pala’in (8 km west of Rayy, pop. 176 in 1951). Among those who tried to spread the Bahá’í Faith in this way were Mírzá Husayn Jawshqani Masiha’i and his son Mírzá Amanu’llah Mudir Masiha’i; Mírzá Hatim Khan (of Ahl-Haqq origin), the clerk at the mill in Hasanabad; Ustad Habibu’llah Vadqani, the master miller; and Haji Ulya. These individuals would invite those Muslims who showed interest to meetings at which ‘Abbas Mahmúdi spoke.

(The Khamsis: A Cradle of True Gold by Boris Handal)

https://bahai-library.com/pdf/h/handal_khamsis_cradle_gold.pdf

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In those days, the Persians cannot meet Rúhíyyih Khánum

In the afternoon when I was coming to the gardens I saw Shoghi Effendi. And I saw Rúhíyyih Khánum from the car. In those days, the Persians cannot meet Rúhíyyih Khánum according to the Persian custom, the man could not see unchadored women. So Shoghi Effendi respected Islam and the Persians could not see Rúhíyyih Khánum. But I saw Rúhíyyih Khánum. I went to Dr Hakim’s room which is in the gardens and saw Rúhíyyih Khánum for the first time but not face to face. The first time I saw Rúhíyyih Khánum in America was at the opening of a conference. So Rúhíyyih Khánum invited for lunch [both] Jane and me to have lunch with her. So that was the first time.

(The Khamsis: A Cradle of True Gold by Boris Handal)

https://bahai-library.com/pdf/h/handal_khamsis_cradle_gold.pdf

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The Nownahálán company

The Nownahálán company (literally “saplings”) was a Bahá’í children’s thrift fund created under ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s approval and blessing in 1917. Established as a non-profit and charitable institution, in 1967 it was composed by 9,000 shareholders with assets amounted to $1,700,000 which were all confiscated by the Islamic revolution. Many Iranian pioneers living overseas relied on the income generated by their savings.

(The Khamsis: A Cradle of True Gold by Boris Handal)

https://bahai-library.com/pdf/h/handal_khamsis_cradle_gold.pdf

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"I will not step in Iran"

I remember that once when speaking about the Iranian government, he mentioned that Shoghi Effendi had said that as long as the current cowardly king is ruling, he would not go to Iran. He said that for a while there was speculation in Iran that Shoghi Effendi had come there to see the country and that he was hiding somewhere in the country. Mr Khamsi said that this was only a rumour as Shoghi Effendi had said that, “until this cowardly king is no longer ruling, I will not step in Iran”.

(The Khamsis: A Cradle of True Gold by Boris Handal)

https://bahai-library.com/pdf/h/handal_khamsis_cradle_gold.pdf

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Events in the life of Shoghi Rabbani and Mary Maxwell from 1937 to 1945

Marriage to Mary Maxwell (1937)

Shoghi Effendi married Mary Maxwell (who was given the title Amatu'l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum) on March 25, 1937.

• The Ceremony: The marriage was a simple, private ceremony held in the room of the Greatest Holy Leaf, Bahíyyih Khánum.
• Significance: Shoghi Effendi described the union as a cementing of the "Union of East and West" and a reinforcement of the Institution of the Guardianship through direct association with the American believers.
• Privacy: The marriage was kept secret from the public and even from the local Bahá'ís until after it had taken place, to avoid the "trouble" that major events often stirred up among his enemies.

Excommunication of His Family (1941–1945)

• 1941–1942 (The Major Wave): A series of cablegrams sent between November 1941 and January 1942 announced the excommunication of the majority of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's descendants. This included:
  • His cousin Ruhi Effendi Afnan and his immediate family (November 1941).
  • His own younger sister, Mehr-Angiz Khánum (January 1, 1942).
• "Year of Disgrace" (1942): The year 1942 is referred to in the sources as a "year of disgrace" because Shoghi Effendi’s own parents were forced to publicly denounce and repudiate their daughter, Mehr-Angiz, following her excommunication. (Mirza Ahmad Sohrab in Abdul Baha's Grandson: Story of a Twentieth Century Excommunication)
• Total Isolation (1945): By 1945, the family of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, as well as Shoghi Effendi's own immediate family, had been "hopelessly lost to him." He described himself as having no one left but his wife, Rúḥíyyih Khánum, and her father, Sutherland Maxwell.

This period of purging was described by the Guardian as a necessary "process of purification" to protect the Administrative Order from the "virus" of violation and disloyalty within the Holy Family. (The Priceless Pearl by Rúḥíyyih Rabbani)

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Abdul Baha warned young Shoghi Effendi against drinking coffee in the homes of any of the Baha'is.

From his early years, Shoghi Effendi was introduced to the world of suffering and danger which his grandfather had inherited as the Centre of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant...., the treachery of the Covenant-breakers in the Holy Land reached a point where the Master felt compelled to warn his young grandson against drinking coffee in the homes of any of the Bahá'ís in the fear that he would be poisoned. At the age of fifteen, however, Shoghi Effendi was forced to drink from the bitter cup of sorrow which the machinations of Covenant-breakers would continue to fill for the rest of his life.

(The Life of Shoghi Effendi by Helen Danesh, John Danesh, Amelia Danesh published in Studying the Writings of Shoghi Effendi ed. M. Bergsmo - Oxford: George Ronald, 1991)

https://bahai-library.com/danesh_life_shoghi_effendi

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What is the Covenant in the Baha'i religious sense?

A Covenant in the religious sense is a binding agreement between God and man, whereby God requires of man certain behaviour in return for which He guarantees certain blessings, or whereby He gives man certain bounties in return for which He takes from those who accept them an undertaking to behave in a certain way. There is, for example, the Greater Covenant which every Manifestation of God makes with His followers, promising that in the fulness of time a new Manifestation will be sent, and taking from them the undertaking to accept Him when this occurs. There is also the Lesser Covenant that a Manifestation of God makes with His followers that they will accept His appointed successor after Him. If they do so, the Faith can remain united and pure. If not, the Faith becomes divided and its force spent. It is a Covenant of this kind that Bahá’u’lláh made with His followers regarding ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá perpetuated through the Administrative Order that Bahá’u’lláh had already created.

(From a letter dated 23 March 1975 written by the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/compilations/universal-house-of-justice-compilation/5#692131014

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UHJ has no right at all to change any law that Bahá’u’lláh has specifically revealed.

Although the Universal House of Justice has to apply and supplement the laws of the Aqdas it has no right at all to change any law that Bahá’u’lláh has specifically revealed. As clearly stated by the Guardian, the provisions of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas “remain inviolate” during the entire Dispensation.

(From a letter dated 28 April 1974 written by the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)

https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/compilations/universal-house-of-justice-compilation/5#692131014

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Baha'i efforts to punish Iran

UHJ asks Baha'is to identify companies, in their countries, interested in doing Business with Iran.

https://archive.org/details/UHJ_LETTERS/2%20May%202016%20UHJ%20letter%20Doing%20Business%20With%20Iran/

UHJ asks Offices of External Affairs (in different countries) to contact government officials / business people visiting Iran.

https://archive.org/details/UHJ_LETTERS/5%20february%202016%20UHJ%20letter%20speaking%20with%20officials%20travelling%20to%20Iran/

UHJ asks Baha'is to lobby against Iran through their Offices of External Affairs, to meet with their government contacts, non-governmental organizations and individuals of influence.

https://archive.org/details/UHJ_LETTERS/24May2016LobbyingAgainstIran/

NSA of the US asks Baha'is across the country to join in a congressional "call-in"... to ensure that House Resolution 220 passes with the same strong bipartisan support.

https://archive.org/details/UHJ_LETTERS/20160502NsaOnMay13CongressionalCall-inCampaign/

Baha'i Comedian Omid Djalili speaks about "change" in Iran

https://youtu.be/os5kzKlqer8

Israeli Channel 12 interviews a Baha'i woman

https://www.reddit.com/r/exbahai/comments/1lowhw1/israeli_channel_12_interviews_a_bahai_woman/

18 Year old Baha'i, Borna Dehghani, takes part in anti-government protests in Iran, loses his life.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DTid3BXkdee/?igsh=MWc4ajM5ZjhpZm9mOQ==

But Baha'i Administration warns Hamid Taheri for being in contact with a Muslim from Iran.

https://taherifiles.blogspot.com/2009/09/april-2002-letter-of-australian-nsa.html

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What is Bada?

Bada is defined as the failing of fulfilment of a prophetic announcement resulting from a change in Divine purpose, though the term literally translates to "appearing in the mind". This concept is illustrated through the story of the Prophet Noah, who repeatedly promised his followers victory at an appointed time; when these promises were not fulfilled as expected, they became "bada". Such occurrences serve as Divine tests to distinguish between those who possess true faith and those who are swayed by outward non-fulfilment, often causing the latter to turn away from the Prophet.

(Extracted from Kitáb-i-Íqán: The Book of Certitude, by Bahá'u'lláh, Translation of Ali Kuli Khan, 1904)

Shoghi Effendi translates "Bada" to "non-fulfillment of the divine promise"

https://bahai-library.com/pschaida_kitab-iqan_interlinear_translation

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Since the time of Bahá’u’lláh dissimulation has been forbidden for Bahá’ís but Abdu’l-Bahá attended the mosque in Akka!!!

It is important to note at this juncture that although Shoghi Effendi did not find it appropriate in his day, there had been great wisdom in Abdu’l-Bahá’s attendance at the mosque during His Ministry. At the time of Bahá’u’lláh’s arrival, the people of Akka considered a man who did not attend a mosque or a church to be an infidel. The Faith had neither formulated its teachings and laws, nor was its true identity known to the inhabitants of the Holy Land. It had been presented to the population as a misguided sect of unbelievers. In these circumstances, refusal to go to the mosque would have stigmatized Bahá’u’lláh and His companions as infidels. By attending the mosque they came to be regarded in the eyes of the public as believers in God. One of the useful by-products of attending the mosque was that Abdu’l-Bahá established a marvellous relationship with the people, and in time emerged, in the words of an admirer, as the ‘Master of Akka’.

(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

Attending a mosque is exactly what a MUSLIM, not a Baha'i, would do. And yet less than a century later, the Universal House of Justice would teach this:

"...it was permissible in Shi’ih Islam for believers to deny their faith in order to escape persecution. since the time of Bahá’u’lláh such an action has been forbidden for Bahá’ís. We do not defend our Faith by the sword, as was permissible in Islam, but Bahá’ís have always held to the principle that when challenged they should `stand up and be counted’, as the modern expression is, and not purchase their safety by denying that which is most important to them in this world and the next. The principle is well known to the Iranian Bahá’ís and is upheld by the overwhelming majority of them when the penalty is martyrdom."

https://bahai-library.com/uhj_dissimulation_iran_emmigrants

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Shoghi Effendi about using AI ??

"The Bahá'ís should not always be the last to take up new and obviously excellent methods, but rather the first, as this agrees with the dynamic nature of the Faith..."

-Shoghi Effendi

https://bahai.works/Bahá’í_News/Issue_659/Text

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Baha'i leaders were ordinary human beings.

Baha'u'llah's Chronic Issues: He suffered from a hernia (fateq), a condition his own sister pointed out he was unable to heal despite claims of divine power. He also had visible hand tremors or shaking; while his followers claimed this was the result of being poisoned by his brother, Mirza Yahya Subh-i-Azal, Avarih suggests this was a convenient excuse for a physical infirmity. Additionally, a traveler who met him noted that his left eye was significantly weaker or more damaged than his right.

Intoxication and Physical Collapse: Mirza Hussain Jarullah (a close confident of Baha'u'llah in Baghdad), found Baha'u'llah unconscious and physically ill from drinking too much wine. He was so intoxicated that he was unable to move or maintain basic hygiene.

Shoghi Effendi's Skin Condition: As a young man, Shoghi Effendi suffered from a skin disease (described as gal or a type of mange/itch) that affected his hands, forcing him to wear gloves while he was a student.

Abdul Baha's Final Sickness: Despite his followers viewing him as a source of healing, Abdul Baha died from a sudden fever. He had to rely on standard medical treatments, such as injections, which ultimately failed to save him.

Baha'u'llah's Cause of Death: He passed away after being bedridden for 22 days with a severe stomach illness and diarrhea (zahir).

(Kashful Hiyal (The Discovery of Deceptions) by Abdol Husayn Ayati 'Avarih')

https://archive.org/details/kashful-heel-part-3/Kashful%20Heel%20-%20Part%201/

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When Friendship Becomes Strategy

And the believers increasingly appreciate the privilege of being able to acquaint a soul with the mission of Bahá’u’lláh—and, beyond this, to lovingly help a soul who stands at the doors of the Faith to step within. In 2021 we drew attention to this infinitely precious moment in a spiritual journey. We have noted with interest that, since then, the friends in many places have focused attention on how to recognize when the city of the heart is open, and on the conversations that lead to this moment and that follow it. Much remains to be learned in this regard, both about how to discern receptivity in different settings and how to acknowledge when it has already matured into faith.

(Message to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors by The Universal House of Justice 2025-12-31)

https://bahai-library.com/uhj_message_counsellors_2025

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Bahá’u’lláh did not study the Bayán, nor been acquainted with its contents

In the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Bahá’u’lláh explicitly testified that he had "not perused the Bayán, nor been acquainted with its contents" a statement that Baha'is find surprising given Bahá’u’lláh's years as a prominent leader within the Bábí community. While some claim that physical copies of the Persian Bayán were scarce and not widely distributed during that era due to fierce opposition, the primary theological explanation provided in this reddit post is that Bahá’u’lláh possessed innate and unlearned knowledge. In the Tablet of Wisdom, he explained that whenever he needed to know something, the information would appear before him as if in a book, a spiritual capacity that allowed him to demonstrate a perfect understanding of the Báb’s Revelation without formal study! Consequently, despite never physically reading the text, he was able to quote the Báb accurately and address the laws of the Bayán in his own works, such as the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and the Kitáb-i-Badí’.

https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/epistle-son-wolf/epistle-son-wolf.xhtml?297c50f7

Baha'is discussing this topic:

https://www.reddit.com/r/bahai/comments/lo0rd1/where_can_i_read_more_about_the_relationship/

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The translation of the writings of Bahá'u'lláh is not a priority for the Universal House of Justice

If translating and making available the writings of Bahá'u'lláh were in fact any sort of priority of the Universal House of Justice, they have enormous resources with which to do so. (Anyone who can spend $250 million on building works has the money for other projects, as well). They have simply decided to expend their resources on other things. I once saw in a library a big set of books, The Collected Works of Sri Aurobindo in Bengali with English translations. Aurobindo was a 20th century Indian holy man. But his followers managed to get his *complete* collected works not only published but also translated, not long after his death. Aurobindo's following is tiny and poor compared to that of the Bahá'ís. That only about 5% of Bahá'u'lláh's works have been translated is not an unfortunate side effect of lack of resources in the Bahá'í community. It is a deliberate decision to invest the money in things like monumental architecture instead.

Moreover, the Universal House of Justice's own translations, as represented in Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh and some of the compilations, are riddled with errors and mistranslations that give an extremely misleading impression of the intent of the original on a number of occasions. So it is not as if the UHJ's own record in translation work is spotless. Unfortunately, it is precisely the attitude of suspicion toward qualified academics and the rigidity of their preconceived opinions, evident in their letter on the Tablet of the Houri, that has caused them to so discount solid expertise and resulted in these many errors in their publications.

-Juan Cole

https://bahai-library.com/uhj_lawh_huriyyih_cole

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she took the refreshments away, and ordered the arrogant man to leave her house... all who had adored him, abandoned him. What a miserable ending!

I know you only wanted to hear the story behind the Tablet of Ahmad and its recipient. Well, that was the main course. The menu will not be complete without saying a few words about Ahmad's glorious daughter, Khanum Gawhar. She was a very daring woman for her time and was blessed with a mirror-like pure heart. During the lifetime of Baha'u'llah there were some outstanding teachers who were almost worshipped by the believers. One of them, who had so many exalted tablets from Baha'u'llah, often went to Khanum Gawhar's house. She respected him to the point of cleaning his shoes. Such respect and adoration by the believers, together with the tablets from Baha'u'llah, went to the head of some of them who thought of assuming an independent rank in the Cause.

After the Ascension of Baha'u'llah, one day this teacher visited - Khanum Gawhar who, as usual, brought tea and sweets and stood at the door with folded arms in absolute humility. She noticed that the teacher was quite gloomy and bitter, so she asked for the reason. He said, "I must go to the Holy Land and see to the affairs of the Cause myself. The Faith is left in the hands of a young man." The last phrase was stated with indignation and pride. You like to know that when Baha'u'llah ascended, Abdu'l-Baha was forty-eight years old. Khanum Gawhar, contrary to the usual protocol, raised her voice and said, "Do you think Baha'u'llah did not know who to appoint after Himself?" With these words she took the refreshments away, and ordered the arrogant man to leave her house and never come back. She warned all of the neighboring Baha'i families about his attitude and cautioned them to wait until they hear from Abdu'l-Baha. It did not take too long before that man was cast out as a covenant-breaker, and all who had adored him, abandoned him. What a miserable ending!

(AHMAD, THE FLAME OF FIRE, A transcript of audio-cassette from series "WINDOWS TO THE PAST" by Darius K. Shahrokh, M.D.)

https://bahai-library.com/wttp/PDF/Ahmad%20-%20The%20Flame%20of%20Fire.pdf

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