3.   Abbas Effendi’s Claims
In discovering Abbas Effendi’s claims Muhammad Ali, on Baha’s authority quoted in the Testament, makes the following observations;

1. Branches (Aqsan) are Baha’s “Proof” among his “Creation”, and his “Fragrances between the heavens and the earth”, while Baha is “above all names and attributes, free from all likenesses and similitude, and without peer and associate”.
2. The word “turning unto”, Abdul Baha appearing in Baha’s Will and Testament connotes “a line” between Baha’s “Creation” and “his Most High of the Creatures”, intended to exalt god’s, Baha’s, word and to disseminate god’s Baha’s, utterances.
3. The allegation of “manifestation of Service”, with reference to Abdul Baha is untenable.
4. The Divine Unity and the Supreme Immaculateness are peculiar to god, Baha, to the entire exclusion of all others. As is laid down in Baha’s Most Holy Book, men should know that Baha is the manifestation of god in the world, without which knowledge good actions are of no avail. God. Baha. Admits of no partnership in the divine unity and the supreme immaculateness.
5. “the temple of god” (Haykal-i Rabb), erected by the Branch (Ghusn), namely Baha, is Baha’s “Kitab-i Haykal”, (the Book of Haykal), and not the Maqam erected by Abdul Baha on Mount Carmel by reason of his branch-hood (Ghusniyya).

3.1    Allegation of Tampering & Corrupting of Baha's Holy Texts
Allegations that Muhammad Ali has tampered with Baha’s writings are dismissed as absurd. Muhammad Ali challenges Abdul Baha to produce documentary evidence to substantiate his allegations.

Under an arrangement made by Baha, Sir Abbas Effendi, his mother, his sister and his daughters resided in Acre. He was Baha's minister for external affairs, and was granted audience by Baha once a week. Baha, his other wives, Mirza Muhammad Ali and his brothers lived in Baha's mansion at Bahja House, a few miles away from Acre. Mirza Muhammad Ali was in charge of the interior affair.

In fact, he had seen all the holy texts and epistles. Baha enjoined upon his sons, namely Mirza Muhammad Ali, Mirza Ziyaullah, and Mirza Badiullah to take the utmost care for custody of his writings but they fell into the hands of the She of Isfahan [i.e. Sir Abbas Effendi's wife lady Munira].

Zeyn-al-Mugarrabin (The Ornament of the Favoured) (whose real name is Zeyn-al-Abedin of Najaf Abad) referred to in the passage) together with Mirza Muhammad Ali were specifically appointed by Baha to overhaul his holy texts and to weed out the tares or the obnoxious passages in them. After the expurgation, Mirza Muhammad Ali proceeded to Bombay in 1889 and had some of the expurgated holy texts printed there.

Baha is quoted as saying: "Any writing held by the Most Great Branch [i.e. Sir Abbas Effendi] will fall into her hands and be destroyed by her." - Mirza Badiullah's memoirs, typed copy P.8. The writings were removed for safe custody. They were not carried off by deception as alleged by Shoghi Effendi. To this day, they are in safe custody of Mirza Muhammad Ali's surviving son Mirza Aminullah.

In his Will and Testament Mirza Muhammad Ali denies categorically having tampered with Baha's holy texts, as alleged against him by Sir Abbas Effendi and his partisans. He dismisses such allegations as absurd and challenges his accusers to produce documentary evidence to substantiate their allegations.
The text sums as follows:

« تحریف که انتشار داده شده حرفیست سخیف و وهمی است باطل وضعیف کتاب هیکل که آن معرف مطبوع ذکر شده دو نسخه و آن باختلاف تاریخ به خط زین المقربین موجود است که در ایّام مبارک نوشته و حرفی با مطبوع و مخالف نیست بیائید و ببینید و این امتحان را علت انزاله اختلاف در آثار قرار دهید و اگر لوحی گفته شده که تحریف گشته آیا چنین لوحی کسی به شما داده و ابراز نموده هرگاه نفسی لوحی بیاورد و بگوید از اثر قلم اعلی است آن را به هر اسباب که امروزه در میان ملل متمدنه رواج است امتحان کنید و کمال دقت و اهتمام ؟ دارید و پس از آن برد و قبول مبادرت نمائید بقول مشهور تنها به قاضی نروید »

3.2    The Lord's Temple (Haykal-i-Rab) and the Branch (Ghusn)
In his al-Kawakib-al-Durriyya, Vol. II PP. 47-48, composed by him prior to his abjuration of Bahaism and return to Islam noted Bahai missionary Mirza Abd-al-Husayn Ayati surnamed Awara one of the most prominent Hands of the Cause, writes:

از تصادفات غریبه اینکه بزرگان اسلام اصرار کردند و سلطان عثمانی مبادرت نمود که حضرت بهاءالله ؟ اراضی توجه دهند احدی متذکر نشد که ارسال آنحضرت باین نقاط بهترین وسیله خواهد شد برای پیشرفت امر بهائی و طریق استدلالی مفتوح خواهد کرد بر وجه بهائیان که بهائیان بآن استدلال میکنند بسیار است ولی واضح تر ازهمه دو چیز استت یکی بلند شدن خیمه رّب در کوه کرمل و دیگر برخواستن شخصی که نام او غصن است و ساختن معبد رّب را در آن جبل مقدس. بلی مصداق این دو نبوت بر صبق عقیده بهائییان باین صورت در آمد که ابتداء خیمه بهاءالله در آن کوه بر پا شد و بعد از آن در دوره غصن اعظم مقام اعلی در کوه کرمل ساخته شد و به دست مبارک عبدالبهاء که غصن مذکور در تورات است جسد نقطه اولی در آن مقام قرار گرفت و بنا شدن هیکل یا معبد رّب باین قضیه مصداق یافت. حضرت بهاءالله بعد از ورود بآن ارض وقتی را بکوه کرمل تشریف برده امر فرمود خیمه حضرتش را در زیر سروهائی که در آن کوه است بر پا کردند ... خلاصه این خیمه در آن کوه برپا شد و ؟ که بعداً خواهیم دانست که چگونه به تصرف عبد البهاء در آمد و مقام اعلی ساخته شد آنروز به نظر حضرت بهاءالله رسید و در حق آن مقام چنین فرمودند « خوبست این زمین برای رّب حضرت اعلی خریده شود.»

This inspired and authorized statement by Mirza Abd-al-Husayn Ayati surnamed Awara reflects the consensus of opinion of the followers of Sir Abbas Effendi about fulfilment of two prophecies, namely, a) the pitching of the Lord’s [i.e. Baha's] tent on Mount Carmel, to which Baha refers in his epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Juli Chambler's translation, P.112 and b) the erection of the Lord's temple by Sir Abbas Effendi in his capacity as the branch (Ghusn) referred to in the Pentateuch on Mount Carmel on site pointed out to him by Baha.

In the considered opinion of Mirza Muhammad Ali, as set out in his will and testament, it is Baha who, as the branch (Ghusn) in his human personality, has constructed the Lord's temple which stands for his Kitab-i Haykal (The Book of the Temple) foretold by the prophets of the past. The text sums as follows:-

باری حضرت مقصود بی مثال هیکل مقدس خود را غصن نامیده و آن غصن حقیقت هیکل رّب را که عبارت از کتاب هیکل است بنا فرموده و اخبار انبیای قبل در این باب انجام یافته و در آخر کتاب هیکل مذکور میفرماید: کذلک عمرنا الهیکل بایادی القدرة والاقتدار ان کنتم تعلمون هذا ؟ و عدتم به فی الکتاب تفربوا الیه هذا خیر لکم ان کنتم ؟ انصفوا یا ملأ الارض هذا خیر ام الهیکل الذی ؟ من الطیبین توجهوا الیه کذلک امرکم من لدی الله المهیمن القیوم اتبعوا الامم احمدوالله ربکم فیما علیکم انّه هوالحمد لا اله الاّ هو یظهر مایشاء بقوله کن فیکون»

To regard the tomb-shrine constructed on Mount Carmel as the promised temple and to presume the Most Great Branch by reason of his branch-hood, Mirza Muhammad Ali stressed, to be its constructor is, in the presence of Baha's express text, a vain imagination. The text sums as follows:

حال به مناسبت غصنیت مقامیکه در کوه کرمل ساخته شده اگر آنرا هیکل بدانیم و غصن اعظم را هیکل موعود دانیم و غصن اعظم را بانی آن فرض نموده آنچه در کتب قبل ذکر شده به این تصور تعبیر و تفسیر نمائیم البتع ارباب انصاف پس از ملاحظه تصریح قلم اعلی در باره کتاب هیکل چنانچه مرقوم شده شهادت خواهد دارد که اینگونه اذکار واهی است و مخالف بیان الهی زیرا فرموده این است آن هیکلی که در کتاب به آن وعده داده شده.

What Mirza Muhammad Ali wants to say in a veiled language, on the strength of Baha's text, boils down to this : Sir Abbas Effendi exploited his Branch-hood to the best advantage. He usurped the rights of Baha as the Branch in his human personality. He misconceived and misinterpreted the Lord's temple, which is identical with Baha's Kitab-i-Haykal. He erected a tomb-shrine on Mount Carmel which he wrongfully designated as the Lord's temple, the resting-place of Sir Abbas Effendi is the tomb-shrine. Thus Sir Abbas Effendi created himself for himself a false Imam-Zada.

3.3    Rebuttals
Mirza Muhammad Ali states that his rebuttals of the sacred matters dealt with in his Will and Testament derive their authority from Baha's holy texts. His only object was to enlighten the Bahais.
The text sums as follows:

« در این مقام ذکر بعضی مطالب لازم است و این عبد را در اظهار آن مقصودی جز آگاهی دوستان نیست و آنچه مرقوم میشود به موجب بیانات الهیه است و موافق آیات ربّانیه و هرکه به انصاف تأمل نماید گواهی دهد که به تصور خود چیزی نگفته ام و تا مطابق الواح مقدسه نیافته اظهاری ننموده ام باری پس از آنکه امواج بحر سکون اختیار فرمود به بعضی اذکار انتشار یافت که علت تفرقه آراء و تباین افکار شده »

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