‘Abdu’l-Bahá immediately chastened His attendant by slapping him hard in the face in front of the Governor.

Soon after the arrival of Bahá’u’lláh and His party in ‘Akká the Governor visited the barracks for inspection. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, accompanied by a few believers, went to see him. But the Governor was discourteous and spoke to them in a provocative manner. He threatened to cut the supply of bread if one of the prisoners went missing and then ordered them back to their room. One of the Master’s attendants could not bear to remain silent after such insulting treatment. He retorted with rage and hurled back at the Governor some offensive remarks.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá immediately chastened His attendant by slapping him hard in the face in front of the Governor and ordering him to return to his room.

(Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdul-Baha - Collected and edited by Annamarie Honnold)

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Abdul Baha spent a few days in the French Alps...

In 1911 the Master spent a few quiet days in the French Alps, presumably to rest, before continuing to London.

(Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdul-Baha - Collected and edited by Annamarie Honnold)

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How Muslims and Baha'is treat their covenant-breakers?

It is related of Shaykh Mahmúd of ‘Akká that he ‘hated the Bahá’ís. While many of his fellow-townsmen had gradually come to realize how very wrong they had been and were speaking of the prisoners in terms of appreciation and praise, Shaykh Mahmúd remained adamant in his hatred. One day he was present at a gathering where people were talking of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as a good man, a remarkable man. The Shaykh could bear it no longer and stormed out, saying that he would show up this ‘Abbás Effendi for what He was. In blazing anger he rushed to the mosque, where he knew ‘Abdu’l-Bahá could be found at that hour, and laid violent hands upon Him. The Master looked at the Shaykh with that serenity and dignity which only He could command, and reminded him of what the Prophet Muhammad had said: “Be generous to the guest, even should he be an infidel.”

Shaykh Mahmúd turned away. His wrath had left him. So had his hate.

(Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdul-Baha - Collected and edited by Annamarie Honnold)

Sometime after I [Ruhi Afnan] was 'expelled' from the Cause and after the Bab’s shrine on Mount Carmel had been completed, a club of university graduates - chaired by an old friend of my sister's - invited me to talk about the Cause. This I was honoured to do and at the appointed date spoke at that meeting. However, upon leaving the hall, Mr. Mohammad Baha'i and Mr. Mansour, who, at that time worked at the house of Abdul Baha (and were in the service of Shoghi Effendi) came forward, spat in my face and slapping me in the face said 'You are an enemy of the Cause and you give talks about it!?'

http://www.abdulbahasfamily.org/documents/Ruhi-Afnan-1970-letter.pdf

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Covenant-Breakers gave away the garments and personal effects of Bahá’u’lláh to government functionaries

There was a time when the Covenant-Breakers ‘gave away the garments and personal effects of Bahá’u’lláh to government functionaries, to serve as chattels of bribery and to provide as well the means of humiliating ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. At their instigation the Deputy-Governor of Haifa would, whilst visiting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ostentatiously wear Bahá’u’lláh’s cloak and brazenly use His spectacles. Before long this man was dismissed from his post and fell on evil days. Then he went to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and begged His forgiveness. He had acted, he said, in the manner he did, because he was prompted by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s own relatives. The Master showed him utmost kindness and generosity...’

(Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdul-Baha - Collected and edited by Annamarie Honnold)

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I give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, the power of speech to the mute

I am serving God. I am the servant of God. I give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, the power of speech to the mute and knowledge to the ignorant. I raise the dead, I deliver those who are in darkness and guide them into the realm of light. I make the poor rich and the weak powerful. I satisfy the hungry ones with the bread of life and allay the thirsty ones with the pure water of immortality. This is my work.

(Abdul-Baha: Diary of Mirza Sohrab, June 30, 1914)

https://bahai.works/Star_of_the_West/Volume_8/Issue_15/Text

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'Abdu'l-Bahá’s infallibility as a complex topic that is distinct from the "Essential Infallibility" of the Manifestations of God.

• Conferred Infallibility vs. Essential Infallibility: While "The Most Great Infallibility" (Essential Infallibility) is confined strictly to the Manifestations of God, the sources note that 'Abdu'l-Bahá was not a Manifestation. Instead, his infallibility is generally categorized as conferred, inherent to his office as the successor of Bahá'u'lláh.
• Sinlessness and "Stainlessness": Conferred infallibility typically refers to immunity against error but does not necessarily imply immunity against sin. However, 'Abdu'l-Bahá is uniquely described in Bahá'í literature as the "Mystery of God" and a "stainless Mirror," with "stainlessness" indicating sinlessness.
• The Nature of His Knowledge: There is ongoing scholarly reflection regarding whether 'Abdu'l-Bahá possessed innate knowledge (like a Manifestation) or if his knowledge was acquired.
• Scope of Utterances: A point of discussion in Bahá'í thought is whether 'Abdu'l-Bahá’s oral and written utterances made before the inception of his office (which began upon the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh) are also considered free from error.
• Role in Defining Institutional Infallibility: 'Abdu'l-Bahá’s own Will and Testament is the primary scriptural authority that proclaims the conferred infallibility of the twin pillars of the Bahá'í Administrative Order: the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice. He assured that both institutions would be under the "care and protection" and "unerring guidance" of God.

(Summary of "Infallible Institutions?" by Udo Schaefer published in Reason and Revelation: Studies in the Babi and Bahá'í Religions, vol. 13, eds. Seena Fazel and John Danesh, pp. 3-37, Los Angeles: Kalimat Press, 2002)

https://bahai-library.com/schaefer_infallible_institutions

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Jinn also applies to disbelievers

• 'Abdu'l-Bahá defines a jinn as a "hidden being" whose internal state, whether it be the light of faith or the fire of rebellion, is concealed from the observation of others,.
• 'Abdu'l-Bahá further explains that the term applies to individuals in whom the temperament of fire dominates their nature, particularly those spurred into motion by the "fire of the divine Word" (Good Jinns, he also calls them Angels).
• In a metaphorical sense, 'Abdu'l-Bahá states that the term also applies to disbelievers because of the pride, arrogance, and litigiousness they display toward the Prophets of God.

(On the Meanings of the Terms 'Angels' and 'Jinn'. Provisional translation by Adib Masumian and Peyman Sazedj 2019)

https://bahai-library.com/abdul-baha_meanings_angels_jinn

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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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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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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 & Abdul Baha used to drink wine!

Sobhi, who served as a scribe for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá before leaving the Bahá’í Faith, provides the following details:

He states that he was personally acquainted with Shoghi Effendi and was aware of the weaknesses of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s family members,. He specifically recounts an incident involving Shoghi Effendi and Dr. Zia Baghdadi. Sobhi describes a time when they were together making jokes typical of young men. He claims that after briefly leaving the room and returning, he witnessed them drinking wine. When Sobhi questioned Dr. Baghdadi about what they were doing, he reports that Shoghi Effendi turned to him and said, "If you want some too, come and drink".

(The Memoirs of Fadlullah Mohtadi Sobhi)

https://archive.org/details/payam-i-pedar-sobhi/payam%20i%20pedar%20sobhi/

For instance, I frequently encountered Haj Mirza Haydar-Ali, their great ninety-year-old missionary, and the sons-in-law of Abbas Effendi in a state of intoxication at the Haifa gathering. I used to wonder if perhaps they were drinking as a sin, contrary to the will of Abdul-Baha.

That was until I fell ill in the Haifa guest house. When my weakness was reported to Varaqiyyi-ulya (the daughter of Baha'u'llah), she sent me a bottle of 'medicine' with a message saying: 'This medicine is strengthening and beneficial; it is exactly the same medicine that His Holiness Abdul-Baha used to partake of.' When I opened it, I saw it was wine. I did not know whether the Lady considered me so foolish and uninformed, or if she sent it knowingly.

At that moment, I understood the intoxication of the sons-in-law, and I also confirmed the statement of Zill-os-Soltan, who had said: 'One night in Paris, I shared a cup (drank) with Abbas Effendi.'"

(Abdul Husayn Ayati 'Avarih', Kashf al-Ḥiyal, Vol. 1)

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

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'Abdu’l-Bahá used to drink castor oil to clear his bowels.

'Abdu’l-Bahá used to drink castor oil to relieve constipation. This detail appears in the original Persian edition of the book but was left untranslated by Ahang Rabbani in the English version.

Go to page 113 of the translation here,

https://bahai-library.com/rabbani_reminiscences_khalil_shahidi

Check Footnote No. 131

It says:

A small paragraph pertaining to the private life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is left untranslated.

In the original Persian edition the omitted paragraph states:

حضرت عبدالبهاء گاهی اوقات محض تخلیه ی از فضول و اعتدال مزاج، فقط روغن کرچک را اختیار می فرمودند با پرهیز.

Which means,

'Abdu’l-Bahá would sometimes take only castor oil, along with dietary restraint, to relieve constipation and keep his body in balance.

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The first differences which happened after the death of Baha'u'llah

Mirza Jawad continues, “The first differences which happened after the death of His Great Holiness our Master within this community was that Abbas Efendi concealed some part of the book of [Baha’u’llah’s] Testament entitled “the Book of my Testament,” which book was given to him by Baha’u’llah in his own holy writing. The detail of this is that on the ninth day after the Ascension [i.e., the death of Baha’u’llah] Abbas Efendi chose nine persons from amongst the Companions, one of whom was the author (of this book) and disclosed to them this document, concealing, however, a portion of it with a blue leaf [of paper], without any reason or justification, and gave it to them that they might enjoy the blessing of its perusal. One of them...read,...to the place concealed by the blue leaf, whereupon Abbas Efendi said to the persons above mentioned, ’Verily a portion of this book is concealed for a good reason, because the time doth not admit of its full disclosure’.” Later on the same day it was read to a number of other relatives and believers, down to the concealed portion.

”Let it not be hidden,” concludes Mirza Jawad, “...that the injunctions set forth in the above-mentioned book all refer to this community generally; haw then could it be right for Abbas Efendi to disclose what he wished and conceal a portion thereof? For there is no doubt that if what was concealed had not been suitable [for general publication] His Holiness Baha’u’llah would not have written it in his august writing.”

There is no question that Baha’u’llah appointed Abbas Efendi as his successor. But what authority was he to have? The Bab had indicated that his successor Subh-i-Azal had the same rank that he had, and was one with him. But Baha’u’llah made it very clear that anyone who succeeded him could never claim to share his rank as a Great Manifestation. For before his death he had stated in the Kitab-i-Aqdas that anyone who claims “Command,” that is, claims to have the rank of a Manifestation, before a thousand years is a false liar. Hence, Abbas Efendi was not authorized to take his father’s place, and be a continuation of his Manifestation, But very soon it began to appear that this was what he wanted to do. He called himself Abdu’l-Baha (the slave of Baha), and professed perfect submission to his father’s will. But he also assumed the title, “the Center” of the Covenant,” a title which many Baha’is thought belonged only to God. “Abbas Efendi,” writes Mirza Jawad, “after he had attained to supremacy..... claimed such lofty stations and high degrees as belong exclusively to Divine Theophanies.” And he quotes several pages of sayings of the new leader which show how high his aspirations were.

One of Abbas Efendi’s claims was that he alone had the right to interpret the writings of Baha’u’llah. “This servant is the expositor of the Perspicuous Book, and whatever of God’s writings is not confirmed by this servant is not worthy of credence.” In another place he says, “You must ask him [Abdu’l– Baha] regarding the meaning of the texts of the verses. Whatsoever he says is correct. Without his will not a word shall anyone utter.” Though he never called himself a new Manifestation, by claiming to be the sole infallible interpreter of the Ward of God, and by asserting that his writings were equally authoritative with those of his father, he assumed a station of which Baha’u’llah would most probably have warmly disapproved. Modern Baha’is, however, fully agree to these claims. For instance, the volume entitled Bahai Scriptures, to which frequent reference has been made, has two parts. Part I comprises the verses of Baha’u’llah, and Part II (larger than Part I), the writings and addresses of Abdu’l-Baha. Both are considered equally authoritative. “The words of Abdu’l-Baha..... have equal rank and spiritual validity with those of the Manifestation.”

(The Baha'i Faith: Its History and Teachings by William McElwee Miller)

https://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/books/K-O/M/miller/Bahaism_Miller_1931.pdf

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Hernia and dysentery.

I sweated it out, thinking of the sufferings of Baha'u'llah and how the early Baha’is died of dysentery when they arrived in ‘Akka.

(Every Foreign Land: The Story of a Baha'i Pioneer by John Warner)

During this time, the wife of the Báb became severely depressed due to her disappointment over not being able to visit Bahá'u'lláh. Shortly after, as a result of contracting dysentery, she passed on to the Abha Kingdom,...

(Memories of My Life - Translation of Mírzá Habíbu’lláh Afnán’s Khátirát-i-Hayát)

https://bahai-library.com/pdf/r/rabbani_afnan_khatirat.pdf

During this time, the wife of the Báb became severely depressed due to her disappointment over not being able to visit Bahá’u’lláh. Shortly after, as a result of contracting dysentery, she passed on to the Abha Kingdom, thus depriving us of her infinite loving-kindness and unsurpassed spiritual qualities. After the ritual washing [of her body] at the Hammam-i-Khayri (otherwise known as Guldastih), her earthly remains were interred in a sacred shrine.

Addressing my late father, Áqá Mírzá Áqá, Bahá’u’lláh revealed a special Tablet of Visitation in the ever-brilliant memory of Khadíjih Bagum, which extols her exalted station and bestows the grace of God upon her. (At this point, Mírzá Habíb quotes portions of this Tablet of Visitation. However, the Bahá’í World Centre has indicated that they will publish a translation of this Tablet in due course.)

(Memories of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and `Abdu’l-Bahá by Mírzá Habíbu’lláh Afnán, p 18)

https://bahai-library.com/pdf/r/rabbani_habibullah_afnan_memories.pdf

The others soon recovered, but 'Abbas Effendi was taken with dysentery, and long remained in a dangerous condition. By his heroic exertions he had won the regard of one of the officers, and when this man saw my brother in this state he went to the governor and pleaded that 'Abbas Effendi might have a physician. This was permitted, and under the care of the physician my brother recovered.

(The Master in 'Akka by Myron H Phelps)

https://bahai-library.com/pdf/p/phelps_master_akka_scan.pdf

Baha'u'llah was very ill. All had severe malaria. Master and Aqa Riza had slight malaria, afterwards very severe dysentery for 1 month...

(Pilgrim's Notes - Saichiro Fujita, 1919)

https://bahai-library.com/fujita_pilgrims_notes

Baha'u'llah died in the year 1892 at Acre. The cause of his death was dysentery, following an illness that lasted for twenty-two days.

(The Religion of Bayan And The Bahai Claims By Jalal S. Azal)

https://archive.org/details/TheReligionOfTheBayanAndTheClaimsOfTheBahais

Izziyyih Khanum writes in Tanbih al-Na’imin that her brother suffered from specific physical ailments for years. She reports that Baha'u'llah was afflicted with a hernia disease and a constant tremor. Drawing on these two specific conditions, she argued that Baha'u'llah was unable to cure or dispel these maladies, questioning how he could then claim to heal the chronic psychological diseases of others.

https://bayanic.com/lib/fwd/tanbih/Tanbih-FWD.html?id=tanbih
https://archive.org/details/tanbih-al-naimeen-a-babi-polemic-ocred

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Abdul Baha's soul is going to be in distress forever.

This is My Will [Testament] that I share with you, all: If something should happen to me and I should pass away, bury me under the sand between Haifa and ‘Akka for it is the pathway trodden by the loved ones and the pilgrims. No marker should be built; no stone [placed], no tree should be raised there, so that it may be traceless. Otherwise, my soul will be in distress.

-Abdul Baha

https://amanatarchitect.com/project/shrine/

After my departure there will be a short time of quiet in the Baha'i Cause. Then the flame of love and activity... bury me between Haifa and Akka in the sands there, for it is the pathway of the loved ones and pilgrims. Build nothing over it.

-Abdul Baha

https://bahai-library.com/inventory/AB*&sort=authorized-asc&start=14750

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‘Abdu’l-Bahá Defines the Concourse on High

... the dwellers of the City of Eternity and the members of the Concourse on High are those who are firm in the Covenant ...

Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the original text of which has been published in Makátíb-i-Ḥaḍrat-i-‘Abdu’l-Bahá, vol. 8, p. 54.

https://adibmasumian.com/translations/ab06698_concourse_on_high_excerpt/

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‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablet of Visitation for Manúchihr Khán

O holder of the loftiest rank! Thou art elated amidst the Concourse on High, and thou art glorious in the Kingdom of Abhá. Thou art lauded by the tongues of the godly, and thou art praised by the mouths of the rightly guided. Well is it with whosoever hath visited thy radiant resting-place! Well is it with whosoever hath kissed thy sanctified tomb! Well is it with whosoever hath clung to thy fragrant grave! Well is it with whosoever hath inhaled the sweet scent of thy burial ground! Well is it with whosoever hath served at thy sepulcher, more redolent than the most potent musk! Well is it with whosoever kindleth a light in thine exalted courtyard!* Well is it with whosoever adorneth thy wondrous site of eternal repose! I swear by God that such a one is of them that have attained, one who shall forever abide in Paradise.

---------------------
Note: Following his death in 1847, Manúchihr Khán was interred at the Fáṭimih Ma‘ṣúmih Shrine in Qum and may still be buried there. In a Tablet to the Bahá’ís of Qum, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has written, “From time to time, in a spirit of the utmost supplication, and with your faces turned toward God, visit the radiant grave of the Shamsu’l-Vuzará’ [Manúchihr Khán] on behalf of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and light a few candles at that sanctified tomb, inasmuch as this act resulteth in nearness to the threshold of divine grandeur” (provisional rendering mine; original Persian text published in Má’idiy-i-Ásmání, vol. 5, p. 227).

https://adibmasumian.com/translations/ab03275/

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Abdul Baha introduces as an obligatory practice ziyara to the shrine of Baha'u'llah

With the death of Baha' Allah in 1892, his tomb at Bahji near Acre was designated by 'Abd al-Baha' as a place of ziyara ranking in importance with the houses in Shiraz and Baghdad. In one letter, he writes that "there is no obligation for everyone to visit such places [holy sites in general], other than the three, namely: the Most Holy Shrine, the Blessed House in Baghdad and the venerated House of the Bab in Shiraz. To visit these is obligatory if one can afford it and is able to do so, and if no obstacle stands in one's way ... These three Holy Places are consecrated to pilgrimage." It should, however, be made clear that what 'Abd al-Baha' is here referring to is ziyara; hajj as such, with its connected rites, may only be performed to the two houses, even though this cannot be done in practice. 'Abd al-Baha's statement is interesting in that it permits ziyara as well as hajj to the houses, and introduces as an obligatory practice ziyara to the shrine of Baha' Allah.

(Rituals in Babism and Baha'ism by Denis MacEoin, London: British Academic Press, 1994)

https://bahai-library.com/maceoin_rituals_babism_bahaism

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Abdul Baha beat Mírzá Áqá Ján as much as he could endure to such an extent that he became bedridden.

Mírzá Áqá Ján
Friday, 4 Jaddí 1298 [26 December 1919], Haifa

One of those in attendance inquired about the Tablets revealed in the tongue of Mírzá Áqá Ján. 'Abdu'l-Bahá responded:

All of those Tablets were revealed by the lips of the Blessed Beauty. During the final blessed days [of Bahá'u'lláh], one of the friends asked [the same question] of Mírzá Áqá Ján, but did not receive an affirmative response. For this reason, a number of the friends rose against him. This took place during the period of illness of the Blessed Person. I realized that the friends were divided into two camps. One group was led by Nabíl Zarandí, and the other was led by the wife of Mírzá Siyyid 'Alí Afnán, and they were bitterly fighting each other. I sternly admonished them, saying, "Have you no shame for creating two factions at this time of His blessed illness?" I dispersed them all.

Then the mother of Mírzá Muhammad-'Alí came and said, "Mírzá Áqá Ján has become presumptuous before His Blessed Person and has said, 'I have labored more for You than His Holiness the Exalted One [the Báb], and You do not appreciate my labors.' The Blessed Beauty has become deeply grieved."

I went into Mírzá Áqá Ján's room and said, "How wretched and ignorant you are!" I beat him as much as he could endure to such an extent that he became bedridden.

Then three times I went into the Sacred Presence [of Bahá'u'lláh] to intercede [on behalf of Mírzá Áqá Ján] and threw Myself at His blessed feet. He said, "Rise!"

Then the Ascension occurred and he [Mírzá Áqá Ján] was residing in My home. I left him to his own self.

At last, he wrote in his own hand to Iran, "Whatever I have written in Tablets are utterances of the Blessed Beauty."

One of the friends inquired, "What was the wisdom of revealing verses through the tongue of Mírzá Áqá Ján? It was possible that on his own accord, he would have written things to various places that were untrue and would have caused differences." 'Abdu'l-Bahá stated:

In those days, the practice was that whenever someone wanted to send a letter to Iran, he would bring that writing to the presence [of Bahá'u'lláh], and after it was considered he would send it.

At first, Mírzá Áqá Ján harbored deep animosity towards Mírzá Muhammad-'Alí. Gradually, however, they became friends. He would put his writings in a cooking pot and on the pretext of buying cheese would go out and mail them, thinking that I did not know what he was doing. When he returned, he would bring the cheese he had bought and show it to Me.

Some time passed. One day he came and said, "I want to leave Your house." Since I was not happy with his conduct, I said, "Fí aminu'lláh." He went and became friends with the illustrious personages [i.e. Covenant-breakers].

For a while, he was engaged in confusing thoughts. Afterwards, he threw burial shrouds over his neck and raised the standard of meekness. However, he noticed that I was not paying him any attention.

At last, one day I was at a carpentry shop. He came and said, "The Covenant-breakers say that they are able to prevent You from building the Shrine of the Exalted One [the Báb]. However, I told them that You will succeed in building the Shrine since it is mentioned in the stories of prophets that "The Branch of God shall build the House of the Lord." I said nothing.

A while later he left and chose seclusion. He would say that he had written a letter of repentance and sent it to Mírzá Siyyid 'Alí [Afnán], so that after his death it would be given to Me. After his death, I asked for the letter, but they said, "He has not given us anything."

Tonight, the blessed utterances were most moving. At the end, He turned to Hájí Siyyid 'Alí [Afnán] who had previously been with the Covenant-breakers and asked, "I adjure you to the Blessed Beauty! Was what I said not exactly how it happened?" He said, "Yes, it was the exact occurrence."

(With Abdu'l-Bahá: The Diary of Mirza 'Isa Khan Isfahani, Translated by Ahang Rabbani, published in Witnesses to Babi and Bahá'í History, vol. 11, 2008-03)

https://bahai-library.com/isfahani_rabbani_with_abdul-baha

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