Proving a Baha’is spying accusation

Republished by: Bahaismiran

As you remember, Abdul-Baha was praying for the endurance of Ottoman Empire but by considering the later events and his tablets revealing afterwards, we can find out that these supplications were completely spurious.

Let’s review Shoghi’s narration after the occupation of Palestine by British army:

“In the Holy Land, however, though the outcome of that tremendous struggle was to liberate once and for all the Heart and Center of the Faith from the Turkish yoke, a yoke which had imposed for so long upon its Founder and His Successor such oppressive and humiliating restrictions, yet severe privations and grave dangers continued to surround its inhabitants during the major part of that conflict, and renewed, for a time, the perils which had confronted ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during the years of His incarceration in Akká”.( Kitab-e Qarn-e Badi”, vol.3, p.289, (Persian copy) .God passes by. Part 3, p.190, (English copy))

If Abdul-Baha was living in oppressive and humiliating conditions when he was living under the protection of the Ottoman Empire, why he was praying for their endurance and empowerment in the world and claimed that:

“Baha’is are under the auspices of the ottoman empire.”

And if according to his expressions and the mentioned supplication, he believed in Ottoman Empire as a divine government and Mohammedan succession, why his grandson and successor expressed his happiness by the defeat of the Ottoman Empire? And what was the meaning of those hostile expressions toward that government?

Shoghi Effendi narrated the events in his book “God Passes By” as follows:

“The Turkish Commander-in-Chief, the brutal, the all-powerful and unscrupulous Jamal Pasha, an inveterate enemy of the Faith, through his own ill-founded suspicions and the instigation of its enemies, had already grievously afflicted ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and even expressed his intention of crucifying Him and of razing to the ground the Tomb of Baha’u’llah.”( Kitab-e Qarn-e Badi, vol.3, p.291, published in 122 Badi’.(Persian copy) .God passes by. Part 3, p.190, (English copy))

As it was mentioned, when Abdul-Baha was living in Palestine, he was known as a Muslim and he was attending in the collective prayer and sometimes he was a chaplain in these prayers, so he never lived in a manner that is narrated by Baha’is.

On the other hand, Jamal Pasha didn’t afflict Bahaullah for his Faith because at those days, Baha’i faith wasn’t propounded as a religion in Ottoman Empire.

If Abdul-Baha didn’t propound the Baha’i Faith as a religion in Palestine, so how Jamal Pasha who was introduced as an inveterate enemy of the Faith afflicted Abdul-Baha and the divine religion?

In fact, Jamal Pasha afflicted Abdul-Baha because he supposed him as a spy and an instigator of their enemies.

The master’s worry and his affairs

Jamal Pasha found out everything about the role of Abdul-Baha as a spy of Britain army in the occupation of Palestine, so Britain government experienced a feeling of danger about his servant, Abdul-Baha, whatever happened afterwards is expressed by Shoghi as follows:

The English believers as soon as they had been apprised of the dire peril threatening the life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá undertook to insure His security; on the measures independently taken whereby Lord Curzon and others in the British Cabinet(6) were advised as to the critical situation at Haifa; on the prompt intervention of Lord Lamington(7), who immediately wrote to the Foreign Office to “explain the importance of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s position;”( God Passes By,part3, p.191)

According to this historical report of Shoghi Effendi, which was expressed unconsciously:

- The English officers apprised that the life of Abdul-Baha had been threatened.

- So they tried to secure his life.

- The prime minister and others in the British cabinet inquired the danger which was threatening Abdul-Baha in Haifa.

- Lord Lamington immediately wrote to the Foreign Office of the empire to explain the importance of Abdul-Baha’s position.

During the periods that Britain was trying to take Palestine out of the Ottoman Empire and preparing his armies for the occupation of cities like Haifa, what was the role of Abdul-Baha that the colonial empire of Britain worried for him to the extent that tried for his release?

Let’s read the Shoghi Effendi’s narration to find out his important role:

“on the dispatch which the Foreign Secretary, Lord Balfour(8), on the day of the receipt of this letter, sent to General Allenby(9), instructing him to “extend every protection and consideration to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, His family and His friends;” on the cablegram subsequently sent by the General, after the capture of Haifa, to London, requesting the authorities to “notify the world that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is safe;”( God Passes By,part3, p.191)

Let’s consider these circumstances again to find about the events behind the act of politics:

- The aggressive Britain resorted to occupy Palestine.

- Haifa was surrounded by British army.

- At the same time, Jamal Pasha became suspicious to Abdul-Baha and his companionship with British armies and decided to arrest him.

- The English believers by the help of Britain cabinet and the authorities of the Foreign office of empire, ordered the British commander-in- chief in Palestine to protect the life of Abdul-Baha.

During analyzing these circumstances, we remember unconsciously the message of the Russian ambassador to the prime minister of Iran at the time of the king’s assassination, in which he had emphasized the protection of Baha’u’llah (Abdul-Baha’s father) as the trust of the Russian government.

And again, in the story of Palestine, another emphatic order was issued in which General Allenby is responsible for the protection of Abdul-Baha and his family and his friends.

Let’s continue the story:

on the orders which that same General issued to the General Commanding Officer in command of the Haifa operations to insure ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s safety, thus frustrating the express intention of the Turkish Commander-in-Chief (according to information which had reached the British Intelligence Service) to “crucify ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and His family on Mt. Carmel” in the event of the Turkish army being compelled to evacuate Haifa and retreat northwards. ;”( Qarn-e Badi, vol.3, p.297, (Persian copy) .God passes by. Part 3, p.191, (English copy))

So the British sympathetic government, by the assistances of the political and military functionaries secures the life of Abdul-Baha as their trustful servant.