They will now be punished

“America,” he said, “is no longer even actively quarreling. They are passively stagnant.” This is why, he said, that he asked them to disperse — so that they may become alive again and not wither. They will now be punished, he told a pilgrim, both materially and spiritually if they do not disperse. Those who now fail to respond to the summons of the Crusade will suffer both materially and spiritually. Those who do not respond to the commander, he said, will feel this double suffering.

(First and Last Meeting with Shoghi Effendi - William Sears, April 1, 1954)

https://bahai-library.com/pilgrim_accounts_collection_files/html/1954,%20William%20Sears%20-%20First%20and%20Last%20Meeting%20with%20Shoghi%20Effendi%20-%20Part%20II.html

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Shoghi Effendi paid a visit to David Ben-Gurion, to establish a good relationship

on 21 January 1949 he paid a visit to the Prime Minister of the new State of Israel, David Ben-Gurion, to establish a good relationship and to inform him about the Bahá’í Faith and his own role as head. He responded to a request by Mr Ben-Gurion for more information by promising to send him his history, God Passes By.

(Coronation On Carmel by Michael V. Day)

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Shoghi was more like a king than a religious figure

Shoghi Effendi became the leader of the Baha'i faith at age twenty four and was so shocked by the news that he said he stopped feeling like a normal person. Instead of leading right away, he suffered a physical collapse and fled to the mountains of Switzerland for many months, leaving the community without a clear head. During his long time as leader, he often got very sick and exhausted because he tried to do almost everything himself and refused to let others help with his work. He also broke with old traditions of kindness, such as refusing to meet with local religious leaders (like Muftis) who had always been welcomed by Abdul Baha.

His leadership style was very different from his grandfather, as people found him to be stern, impersonal, and more like a king than a religious figure. He moved the Baha'i faith away from being about a single person and focused more on a strict administrative system. He demanded that everyone follow this system exactly, stating that a person's own conscience must give way to the will of the majority in group decisions. 

Shoghi Effendi was often very critical of Baha'is in the West, especially those in America, calling them soft, materialistic, and lazy. He told them they were failing at their duties and needed shock medicine to wake them up from their inactive state. His time as leader was also marked by many painful fights with his own family members. Eventually almost all of his relatives were cast out of the religion and labeled as enemies or Covenant-breakers.

His intense focus on work was so strong that his wife said it was slowly killing him. He spent nearly all his time reading and writing thousands of letters, which left him with almost no time for rest or a normal personal life. When he died suddenly in 1957, it caused a massive crisis because he did not leave a written will or name a new leader to follow him. This left the entire community in a state of great confusion and fear about how to survive without any clear instructions.

(Extracted from Shoghi Effendi: Through the Pilgrim’s Eye, Volume 1 & 2)

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submission to the authority of the Spiritual Assemblies is a matter of faith.

One day in discussing the question of submission to the authority of the Spiritual Assemblies Shoghi Effendi said: "The Master has not left any latitude for personal opinion, it is not a matter of reason, it is a matter of faith.

'Some of the instructions and commands may seem unreasonable, but if we believe we have faith in them and the sign of faith is obedience. The whole question resolves itself into a matter of faith and obedience is the proof of faith, it is the result of faith, if we do not obey it is because we have not faith in the commands of the Master.

'I cannot see it in any other way.

(Shoghi Effendi Through the Pilgrim's Eye, Volume 1, Building the Administrative Order, 1922-1952 by Earl Redman)

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Shoghi Effendi was a dark-complexioned man, dressed in Western attire but wearing a fez

I [Marcus Bach] saw coming through the adjoining room a small, dark-complexioned man, dressed in Western attire but wearing a fez. His clean-shaven face and slender figure registered indomitable strength...

(Shoghi Effendi Through the Pilgrim's Eye, Volume 1, Building the Administrative Order, 1922-1952 by Earl Redman)

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Shoghi Effendi's relations with the State of Israel

• Shoghi Effendi welcomed the emergence of the independent State of Israel with "great satisfaction," praising the maturity of its leaders and people.
• He viewed the re-establishment of the Jewish State as the fulfillment of divine promises made to the Jewish people by Baha'u'llah.
• He described the formation of the state as the Jewish people successfully asserting their sovereignty in the land of their ancestors.
• The Baha'i administration maintained friendly relations with the Israeli government, characterized by mutual understanding and cooperation.
• High-level visits were made to Baha'i Shrines by Israeli officials, including President Itzhak Ben-Zvi, which signaled official respect for the Baha'i Faith.
• Shoghi Effendi found the Israeli authorities to be supportive and stable, providing a better environment for the development of the Baha'i World Center than previous regimes.
• He believed the return of the Jews to their homeland was a "clear sign" of the dawn of a new era of global justice and peace.

Ugo Giachery remembers Shoghi Effendi as "the essence of justice".

(Extracted from the book "Shoghi Effendi - Recollections" by Ugo Giachery, 1973)

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Shoghi Effendi

Shoghi Effendi did not Appoint a Successor, did not leave a Will. He owned expensive cars, cameras, bynoculars and watches. He spent expensive long vacations in Switzerland. Avarih and Sobhi claim that Shoghi consumed Alcohol and had sexual relations with Dr. Zia Baghdadi. 

Baha'u'llah and Abdul Baha commanded absolute, unquestioning obedience to the government. Shoghi Effendi altered this by ruling that Baha'is should disobey the state in "matters of belief," even if the result is death or expulsion. Abdul Baha strictly prohibited Baha'is from sending their children to non-Baha'i schools, labeling it a cause of humiliation. However, he personally sent Shoghi Effendi to several non-Baha'i institutions, including a Jesuit college and Oxford. Shoghi Effendi excommunicated nearly all of Baha'u'llah's living descendants, including his own parents, brothers, and sisters. Shoghi Effendi excommunicated his own brother and cousins for marrying individuals he deemed "lowborn" or for not obtaining his personal permission. In a move to "purify" Baha'i holy sites, Shoghi Effendi ordered the disinterment and removal of the remains of family members he had labeled as "Covenant-breakers". He demolished the house of the so-called "Covenant-breakers" and created an artificial hill from their demolished houses. He established a close relationship with the State of Israel through several high-level administrative and personal actions like Pledge of Loyalty and Allegiance. In a letter to Prime Minister David Ben Gurion, Shoghi stated that the establishment of the Jewish State was a fulfillment of Baha'i prophecy. With the help of the Israeli government, he acquired property that had been expropriated from Palestinians who fled during the 1948 war. He spent hundreds of millions dollars on acquiring land, building monumental architecture and gardens in Haifa. He expressed uncertainty and doubt regarding his own translations, stating he did not consider them final. When a child, Shoghi Effendi was taken to Baghdad for medical reasons, the report indicated a physiological delay that causes infertility. Abdul Baha knew well that Shoghi would never become a father. Baha'i law states that the dead should be placed in a coffin made of crystal, stone, or hard, fine wood. But Shoghi Effendi was buried in an expensive casket made up of bronze.

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Mirza Hadi took his son (Shoghi Effendi) to Baghdad for medical reasons

Abdu’l-Bahá knew well that His grandson could not have children. 

Mirza Hadi took his son to Baghdad for medical reasons; the report indicated a physiological delay that causes infertility. Abdu’l-Bahá saw in this a "Sign of God."

(Ruhiyyih Khanum’s Two Cables Announcing the Death of Shoghi Effendi by Grover Gonzales, May 2026)

https://bahai-library.com/gonzales_khanum_cables_shoghi-effendi

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between 1940 and 1952 alone, the Guardian gave the Municipality of Haifa over ten thousand dollars

In the years when the people of Palestine and, later, of Israel were undergoing great hardships, between 1940 and 1952 alone, the Guardian gave the Municipality of Haifa over ten thousand dollars for the poor of all denominations. In addition to such help given through government and municipal agencies, he also responded to the appeals of many charities, gave individually to those he deemed worthy, and even sometimes contributed money for some special purpose connected with the mosque in Haifa. Many times he gave contributions spontaneously, such as the £100 he donated to the Government Lunatic Asylum in Akka—the former Turkish barracks—when the room occupied by Bahá’u’lláh was turned over to the custody of the Bahá’ís, and the sum he presented towards the construction of the Institute of Physics which the Weizmann National Memorial was undertaking.

(The Priceless Pearl, Rúhíyyih Rabbani)

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Abdul Baha used to call a Muslim to chant to Shoghi Effendi the sublime verses of the Quran

The childhood nurse of Shoghi Effendi used to recount that when he was still a baby the Master was wont to call one of the Muslims who chanted in the mosque to come at least once a week and chant to the child, in his melodious voice, the sublime verses of the Qur’án.

(The Priceless Pearl, Rúhíyyih Rabbani)

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The wrongdoings of Shoghi Effendi

• Authoritarian Rule: Shoghi Effendi established a leadership style based on "complete conformity, total obedience and unswerving loyalty", acting as the "sole prosecutor, sole judge and one man jury" over both the community and his own family.
• Systematic Expulsion of Family: He expelled and shunned almost his entire immediate family, including his parents, brothers, sisters, aunts (the four daughters of 'Abdu'l-Bahá), and cousins, an act described as "contrary to the Spirit and principles of Bahaism".
• Acts of Physical Violence: He was noted for a "hot temper"; in one instance, he ordered his henchman to beat his brother Hossein in a courtyard, and in another, he struck his cousin Qudsi Onsi with a walking stick for eating a sandwich during a mandated fast while hiking.
• Interference in Marriages: He disregarded the Master’s wish for him to marry his cousin Maryam Shahid and instead attempted to arrange or forbid the marriages of his siblings and cousins based on his own approval. He even threatened that no Baha'is would attend his aunt's funeral if her son proceeded with a marriage he disliked.
• Ostracization of His Parents: He forced his parents, Zia Khanum and Mirza Hadi, into secluded isolation at a small home on Mount Carmel, where they lived in "sadness and desolation" after being shunned by the community they had served.
• Contradicting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Forgiveness: While 'Abdu'l-Bahá forgave and welcomed descendants of those who opposed the Faith, Shoghi Effendi maintained a strict policy of shunning even the children of relatives, allegedly stating that "covenant breaking is transmitted through the mother’s milk".
• Ending the Guardianship Line: By marrying Mary Maxwell (Ruhiyyih Khanum), who was medically unable to bear children, Shoghi Effendi failed to produce an heir, which resulted in the termination of the line of Guardianship specified in the Will of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
• Restricting the Primary Duty of Teaching: He forbade relatives from teaching or preaching the Cause, despite 'Abdu'l-Bahá’s Will explicitly stating that "if anyone or any assembly forbids [preaching], they must not be obeyed" as preaching is an essential duty.
• Use of Harsh and Libelous Language: He sent cables to the Baha'i world using vitriolic language, labeling his own relatives as "treacherous," "faithless," and "enemies of the Faith," which family members assert were based on hearsay rather than factual evidence.
• Enforcing Blind Obedience: He prioritized "blind, unquestioning obedience" over faith, contradicting the principle that belief and independent investigation of truth should come first.

(https://www.abdulbahasfamily.org)

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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 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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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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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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How did Shoghi Effendi obtain the Mansion of Bahji from the Covenant-breakers?

This is how Ruhiyyih Khanum starts her summary of the steps which Shoghi Effendi took to accomplish this goal:

...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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Shirkat-i Umana affair

When Shoghi Effendi, passed away in 1957 without a will or a successor, it caused a major crisis regarding his massive estate in Iran, valued at nearly $287 million. A conflict arose between Baha'i religious rules, which stated the property belonged to the faith, and Iranian civil law, which stated it belonged to Shoghi's relatives. This was complicated because Shoghi had previously excommunicated his siblings, labeling them as covenant-breakers and enemies of the faith. To prevent losing total control of the assets, the Baha'i leadership made a controversial decision to negotiate with these relatives and pay them a significant portion of the fortune. This move upset many followers, who viewed it as a hypocritical betrayal of Shoghi's own decrees to strictly avoid those family members.

To secure the remaining assets, the leadership established a corporation known as the Umana Company. According to a legal complaint filed by Colonel Yadu'llah Thabet Rasekh, a former member of the community, this company was actually a tool used to commit fraud and evade millions of dollars in taxes. Baha'i leaders (Hands of the Cause) illegally transferred the property titles to a specific individual and then to the company to hide the real value of the land. These actions were not only illegal under Iranian law but also a violation of Baha'i principles.

For more details check:

https://historydocuments.ir/?page=post&id=3077

https://bahaism.blogspot.com/2025/12/what-happened-to-shoghi-effendis-vast.html

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Why didn't Shoghi Effendi write a will? by Ali Nakhjavani (Video)

Why did Shoghi Effendi not write the Will & Testament? Did Shoghi Effendi know that he was going to pass away? Did his death come suddenly upon him? And he did not know? He did not write anything? He did not appoint anyone? Now, Violette has written a book. It is called "A Tribute to Amatul Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum". If you read this, it's a small book.

And I'm sure we have it in the library. There are two very important points in this little book. That Violette writes about.

I'm sure many of you may have heard this even from Ruhiyyih Khanum herself when she was in New Zealand. Because this question was always asked of her. It is this.

Ruhiyyih Khanum says, I was sitting at my desk, working. Shoghi Effendi came to me. He looks at me and he says, this is towards the latter years of his life.

What will become of you after I'm gone? Ruhiyyih Khanum, poor Ruhiyyih Khanum. I don't expect to live after you. Please don't say these things.

Shoghi Effendi takes no notice. He carries on. He says, I assume that you will travel and encourage the friends.

Every time the friends ask, why are you traveling so much? Shoghi Effendi says, because Shoghi Effendi told me that after him I must travel and encourage the friends. It was in this context that you may have even heard this from Ruhiyyih Khanum's own lips. Another event that Violette refers to is when he was in London the last few days of his life Shoghi Effendi turns to her and says, I don't want to go back to Haifa.

You go alone. And you know what to do. Ruhiyyih Khanum understood this because he had just come out of a bout of Asian flu and he was very, very weak and Shoghi Effendi was discouraged that he was saying these things.

She did not realize that it had a special meaning. 24 hours later he passed away. Now, I ask you this question.

Someone who in the first instance someone who is concerned about the welfare of his wife and is advising her what to do after his death such a person who is the guardian of the Baha'i faith who is the protector of the faith of Baha'u'llah does not think about the welfare of the faith? He thinks about only his wife? It's impossible. It's inconceivable. The only answer is, I think that of course he knew that he did not want to write a will.

When someone asked the House of Justice why Shoghi Effendi did not write his will the answer is this is something that the friends should accept that there was a wisdom in everything that Shoghi Effendi did or did not do, his silence on the subject is itself divine guidance and the friends should accept that. Shoghi Effendi was sure about the future of the cause was absolutely sure one of the hands of the cause, Mr. Samandari, used to say after the death of Shoghi Effendi he used to say friends if Shoghi Effendi was not sure about the security of the faith after his death he would not have passed away. That's what Mr. Samandari used to say.

What a perception what a deep spiritual insight that this man had.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7YxVoyYYEg

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