15.   Guarding of the Cause of God
“My Supreme obligation, however, of necessity, prompts me to guard and preserve the Cause of God, thus with the greatest regret, I counsel you saying ’guard ye the Cause of god, protect His Law and have the utmost fear of discord.” In his marginal note penned in his own handwriting on page 20 of the printed copy of Sir Abbas Effendi’s will, Baha’s youngest son Mirza Badiullah observes :

“Which is the cause of god to be protected? Contrary to the behests contained in the Book of my covenant [i.e. Baha’s Will and Testament] he [i.e. Sir Abbas Effendi] made provision in these very papers for the establishments of an unconditional fictitious and moral government under the name of the Cause of God in favour of his grandson [Shoghi Effendi] and his issues. He repeatedly laid the extreme of stress in all respects on the preservation and guarding of the self styled name of the Cause of God.”
The text sums as follows:

Sir Abbas Effendi’s will ends: “For he is, after Abdul Baha [i.e. Sir Abbas Effendi], the guardian of the Cause of god. The Afnan, the Hands (pillars) of the cause and the beloved of the lord, must obey him and turn unto him. He that obeys, him not, has not obeyed god; he that turns away from him, has turned away from god and he that denies him, has denied the True one.
Beware lest any one falsely interprets these words, and like unto them that have broken the covenant [i.e. Mirza Muhammad Ali and his partisans after the day of ascension [i.e. death of Baha], advance a pretext, raise the standard of revolt, wax stubborn and open wide the door of false interpretation.”

“To none is above the right to put his own opinion or express his particular conviction, all must seek guidance and turn unto the Center of the Cause and the House of Justice, and he that turns unto whatsoever else is indeed in grievous error”.
The text sums as follows:

« این کلمات را مبادا کسی تأویل نماید و مانند بعد از صعود هر ناقض ناکسی بهانه ئی کند و علم مخالفت برافرازد و خود رائی کند و باب اجتهاد را باز نماید نفس را حق رائی و اعتهقاد مخصوص نه باید کل اقتباس از مرکز امر و بیت عدل نمایند و ماعداهم کل مخالف فی ظلال مبین »

The word “Ta’wil” appearing in the text means not “gales interpretation” but forced or obtained interpretation. The word “ijtihud’ appears in the text means not false interpretation but ‘interpretation’. Note how the text has been tampered with in the rendering. In his marginal note penned in his own handwriting on paper of the printed copy of Sir Abbas Effendi’s will, Baha’s youngest son Mirza Badiullah observes: “What is extremely strange is that although the most Great Branch [i.e. Sir Abbas Effendi] himself, after the ascension [i.e. Baha’s death] raised the standard of revolt, waxed stubborn, gave interpretation, advanced a pretext, and violated all the behests in the Book of My Covenant [i.e. Baha’s Will & Testament], of which, as an instance he proceeded to set up such a hierarchy for his own grandson, yet he strictly forbids [the recurrence of] their likes after him.

The text sums as follows:

« در نایت غریب است که با آنکه بعد از صعود غصن اعظم خود علم مخالفت و خود رائی و اجتهاد و بهانه نمودند و مخالفت وصایای کتاب عهدی من جمله به تإسیس ریاست فقیر خود را پرداختند مغ ذلک منع مثل آنرا بعد از خود تاکید شدید کردند. »

In the presence of this colophon wherein Sir Abbas Effendi states that “to none is given the right to put forth his own opinion or express his particular conviction’ Sir Abbas Effendi’s edict that foremost among his principals is that of the “independent investigation of truth” beats in vain.
Sir Abbas Effendi’s institution of hereditary guardianship with the right of god appertaining thereto is in flagrant violation of Baha’s Aqdas and Will of Testament. With the death of Shoghi Effendi without issue Sir Abbas Effendi’s creation ceased and determined. God’s ways works mysteriously indeed. Sir Abbas Effendi’s charter has been examined on its merits on the authority of none other person than Baha himself, whose servant Sir Abbas Effendi claimed to be.

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