Mirza Ahmad Sohrab hailed from Isfahan, in Iran. He emigrated to Acre at the age of 12. After a short stay there he was sent by Sir Abbas Effendi to Port Said, in Egypt, where he worked as a salesman in Sir Abbas Effendi's son-in-law Mirza Ahmad Yazdi's store. After several years he proceeded to the United States, and acted as an interpreter to Sir Abbas Effendi's Bahai proselytiser Mirza Add-al-Fadl of Gulpaygan. When Sir Abbas Effendi visited the United States in 1912, Mirza Sohrab became part of his entourage, and returned with him to Palestine. During World War I He was Sir Abbas Effendi's Persian scribe and translator. When the war was over, Sir Abbas Effendi sent him back to the United States as a bearer of the "Divine Plan" drafted by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, 1947.

In his publications the word Mirza which means Mr. is invariably prefixed to his name Ahmad Sohrab. According to him, he was "a descendent of the prophet Muhammad". Mirza Sohrab enjoyed the full confidence of Sir Abbas Effendi, with whom, he had been intimately associated as his Persian scribe and translator. He was also very well acquainted the members of Sir Abbas Effendi's family, including Shoghi Effendi, with whom he was on the best terms. Like other partisans, under pains and penalties of expulsion from the faith, to communicate and associate with the members of Baha's family excommunicated by Sir Abbas Effendi for their alleged deviation from him as the centre of the covenant, a title to which Sir Abbas Effendi took a fancy, with which he labelled himself, and which, on the strength of the Baha's own revelation (Materials for the Study of BءBi Religion by Prof. Browne P. 111), was exclusive to the god, alone, Baha who himself before the creation of the heaven and the earths that man should worship none save god alone."

In July 1954 Mirza Sohrab passed through Cyprus on his way to the Holy Land. "His second Bahai pilgrimage." My wife, her niece from Haifa and myself dined with him in his hotel in Nicosia. The following day Mirza Sohrab lunched with us in our house in Kyrenia. Quite naturally he tabled about the Bahai affairs and Caravan. His attention was called to the fact that in the presence of Baha's will and testament, Sir Abbas Effendi's will and testament appointing Shoghi Effendi as guardian of the cause was null and void. Mirza Sohrab admitted that Abbas Effendi's will and testament was in fact invalid but added that he could not bring himself to denounce it in public as such a move on his part was found to ruin the business of the Caravan.

It must be borne in mind that Mirza Sohrab kept silence when Sir Abbas Effendi swept members of Baha's family out of the faith (with the axe of excommunication).

Mirza Sohrab believed in two manifestations of God in peaceful co-existence. One for Islam, and one global:-
"The Caravan Vol. XXVI -. No 4. October 1960 : -"
"Page 21- "

	Station
Sayyid Ali Muhammad	The Gate to the knowledge of God
	BءB
	Mahdi
	Promised of Muhammad
	Qaim
	Manifestation of God for Islam
Mirza Husayn Ali	Bahaullah
	Manifestation of God For the whole world

It must however be remembered that the role of the BءB is not limited to that of annunciator. In himself the BءB was a manifestation of God, even though manifestation was limited to a brief period, and was followed closely by the greater manifestation which it was his mission to herald."

Mirza Sohrab had won his spurs during Sir Abbas Effendi's term of office, his mentor and tutor. This was an asset to Mirza Sohrab, in whom Shoghi Effendi perceived a potential rival fatling for power. Mirza Sohrab was intimately associated with Shoghi Effendi before his accession to power. This was a liability to Mirza Sohrab as Shoghi Effendi was out to have a complete break with the past.

In the eyes of Shoghi Effendi Mirza Sohrab had become a nuisance. Shoghi Effendi could not dismiss him summarily. Shoghi Effendi had to prepare the ground for his expulsion. Thereafter Shoghi Effendi displayed latitude and indulgence and bided his time.

In the meanwhile Mirza Sohrab in collaboration with Mrs Julie Chamler had founded the new History Society in 1929 and headed a splinter group, suspected of separatist tendencies, which was loggerheads with the main body, the Bahai administration, established under Shoghi Effendi's leadership.
In the secret tug of war that ensured between the main body and the infant group, which both claimed to have stood for one and the same cause. Shoghi Effendi ostensibly adopted a role of impartiality, and sought to bring about a reconciliation between the contending parties. But, neither side would give in, and in the end things came to a head, when the Bahai administration designated as the organised Bahais resorted to litigation, and sued Mirza Sohrab, a poet and Mrs Julie Chamler, both designated as the unorganised Bahais, and complained that the latter were not authoritative Bahais to conduct Bahai meetings. Lectures due to and to solicit contributions with the use of a Bahai name. The competent court dismissed the case in 1941 on the grounds that the Bahai administration had no right to a monopoly of the name of a religion the word Bahai - therein trade-mark. The court's decision was upheld on appeal. The dominant factor in the suit was monetary considerations and the issue stemmed from a private feud between Shoghi Effendi, bent on having a complete break with the past, and Mirza Sohrab, who had become a formidable opponent to be reckoned with had to be eliminated.

The Bahai administration was a façade for Shoghi Effendi, who failed in his attempt to dispose of Mirza Sohrab by legal means, played his trump card and excommunicated Mirza Sohrab. In the broken silence published by him after the decision, Mirza Sohrab "affirms that the will of Sir Abbas Effendi is valid and that his appointment of Shoghi Effendi as the guardian of the cause is unchallengeable." Mirza Sohrab, however takes exception to certain policies and methods initiated by Shoghi Effendi and the Bahai administration under his leadership as the teachings of Baha and Abdul Baha (Sir Abbas Effendi) are liberal to the nth degree."

It was the intentions," Mirza Sohrab Maintains "of the founders to establish an unorganised movement, so all-inclusive and free as to be immune to the natural proclivities of men to restrict and limit." In his later publications, Mirza Sohrab produced a list of the members of Sir Abbas Effendi's family and condemned his action. The mouthpiece of the New History Society is the Caravan.

Mirza Sohrab, a poet according to him, a descendant of Muhammad according to him, bearer of Sir Abbas Effendi's 'Divine Plan' to the United States, a convinced believer in two manifestations of God in peaceful co-existence commended by Sir Abbas Effendi, and condemned by Shoghi Effendi, passed to the mercy of God in the fullness of time.

To read more about Who is Who in Bahaism, got to the main page, select 'Bahaism' and navigate through the index.

You can go to the main page, or close this window: