Mirza Muhammad Ali’s Will & Testament
Introduction

 

1.   Introduction
Unlike his brother Ibn-al-Baha Badiullah, Muhammad Ali, as far as he is known, has left no memoirs. In the Testament, the Primal Point, Baha, and Abdul Baha Abbas are not designated by name. They are referred to as the Forerunner, God, and the Most Mighty Branch respectively. However, read between the lines, in the Testament Muhammad Ali defines and defends his position.

He is carefully polite towards Abdul Baha Abbas; he condemns Abdul Baha’s innovations in Bahaism, particularly the fake Imamzadeh (marabout) created by Abdul Baha himself for himself by his erection a Mausoleum on Mount Carmel in erroneous interpretation of Baha’s “Holy” writ.

Muhammad Ali was instrumented in the recovery and suppression of the Point’s and Baha’s writings establishing the Point’s dispensation and the vicegerency of Subh-i Azal as the appointed successor of the Primal Point. pp. 10-17, the Tanbihun-Naimin (The Awakening of the Sleepers).

He was also responsible interior economy of Bahaism during Baha’s “epiphany,” at Acre (p. 2, Ibn-al Baha Badiullah’s memoirs). As such, he was privy to the inner working of Baha’s machinery. Like the Triumvirate, namely, Baha, Abdul Baha, and Shoghi Effendi, Muhammad Ali has passed to the mercy of god, survived by his masterpieces in calligraphy.

1.1    The Tone of the Will
It must however be put down to the credit of Muhammad Ali that his Testament is not tainted with invectives or abusive language, although, on evidence of Ibn-al-Baha Badiullah’s memoirs, he suffered a great deal at the hands of Abdul Baha, and is designated by Ibn-al-Baha Badiullah as the wronged-one.

In contrast to Muhammad Ali’s Testament, Abdul Baha in his Will & Testament, assumes the airs of the wronged-one; he associates the attempted fratricide alleged by Baha; he gives unbridled licence to his allegations of fulminations against Muhammad Ali, his son Shuaullah, and Ibn-al-Baha Badiullah. Documentary evidence is produced to substantiate the allegations which must be accepted by Abdul Baha’s followers as gospel truth.

Muhammad Ali’s Will & Testament, though lithographed, has never been made public. Apparently, this defect arises from the practice of concealment of religious opinions dictated by prudential motives (Ketman or Taqiya in Persian).
The testament is being made public for the first time and its historical interest need not be stressed. It will enable interested readers to become acquainted with the Bahais dispute inter se.

1.2    Some Terms Used By Baha
According to Mirza Muhammad Ali's Will and Testament, supported by quotations from Baha's holy texts, Baha speaks of:

  1. himself as the Ancient Root (Asl-i-Qadim), The Lote-Tree of the Extremity [Sidral-al-Muntaha], and the Tree (al-Sidra) in the sphere of divinity;
  2. himself as the Branch (Ghusn) from the Lote-Tree of the extremity or the Tree, and as the Haykal (Temple) in his human personality;
  3. The Book (Kitab) to denote the Most Holy Book (Al-Kitab Al-Aqdas);
  4. The Book of the Covenant (Kitab-i-Ahdi) to denote his will and testament;
  5. The Haykal (Temple) to denote his particular revelation, i.e. Kitab-i-Haykal;
  6. The Branches (Aghsan, plural of Ghusn) to denote his four sons;
  7. The Bough that has branched out from the Ancient Root or (فرع منشعب از اصل قدیم) to denote those referred to in (f) above;
  8. The Most High of Creation (علی خلق) to denote those referred to in (f) above;

1.3    An Overview
His line of argument is as follows:
God is unknowable except through his manifestation, the prophet. The prophet of the age was Sayyid Ali Muhammad, the Promised Qaim and the Mahdi, whose advent is expected in Islam. With all his might and sovereignty, he designated himself as the forerunner of a greater manifestation of god, Baha, whose name he concealed in his consummate wisdom and called it “He Who Shall Appear”, or “He Whom God Shall Manifest”.

The Point’s statements that “you will attain all the good in the ninth year”, and “you will meet with god in the ninth year”, and Sheikh Ahmad of Ihsa’s (founder of the Sheikhi school of thought) document that you will know the news of it “after a while”, come true and in the year A.H. 1269 in Iraq on the day of the resurrection of the Quran “He Whom God Shall Manifest”, of the Bayan appeared in the person of Baha. This was however a “private manifestation”, of Baha. Baha’s “general manifestation” took place in A.H. 1280 followed by the revelation of inspired words.

A line of distinction is to be drawn between a partial manifestation which denotes prophethood and total manifestation which stands for divinity.
Baha’s is total and supreme manifestation of god. Baha is the pivot of divine manifestations round which the previous and future dispensations revolve.
Baha’s supreme manifestation of god is one which graces the world one in every five hundred years.

Baha’s writ is to hold good for one thousand years to come. If some one does appear after lapse of one thousand years he will be speaking on behalf of Baha.
However, the One due to appear in Mustaghath (2001 years reckoning from the date of dispensation of the Primal Point) is to testify to Baha’s divinity.

The Point of difference between the Bayanis and the Bahais as regards the station of Sayyid Ali Muhammad as the Point, the year Nine, the word "after a while", the period represented by the word Mustaghath”, the day of the resurrection of the Quran, and “He Who Shall Appear”, or “He Whom God Shall Manifest” have already been dealt with.

It may be mentioned in passing that since the One due to appear in Mustaghath is none other than “He Who Shall Appear”, or “He Whom God Shall Manifest”, as is laid down in the Bayan and admitted by Baha in his epistle penned in his own handwriting, Baha’s claim to be “He Who Shall Appear”, or “He Whom God Shall Manifest”, is invalidated by his own admission.


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