After Ali Muhammad Bab’s death, Hussein Ali Baha tried hard to take over the leadership of Babis. After accepting his brother Sobhi Azal’s presidency hurtfully and preparing facilities for his presidency, he targeted his brother with his conspiracies and insults, while Abdul Baha considers avoiding sense of power as the criterion for choosing the leader of a community.
Mirza Hussein Ali Nouri
After Ali Muhammad Shirazi’s (Bab death, Hussein Ali Nouri (the Baha’i self-proclaimed prophet) did insidious measures to gain Bab’is presidency. At first, he made people pay attention to him by introducing him in order to provide the facilities for his presidency (refer to Sayyah personal article, p. 38).
Mirza Yahya Sobhi Azal
However; shortly after his presidency, he acquitted his brother and addressed him in the worst possible way. He said addressing the disciples of Sobhi Azal:
“و ای قهر مِن ذلک تَعبدُونَ البَقَر ولاتَعرِفُونَ ثم تَدعونَ الله بِأن یخرج لَکم مِن صُلبِهِ عِجلاً لِتَعبُد… [بدیع، ص ۱۷۲]”
“which coercion is higher than a cow you don’t know (Mirza Yahya Sobhi Azal) and then you ask God to give him a calf…” (Badi’a, p. 172).
Eventually, he describes his unprecedented enmity against his brother on presidency of the Babis as follows: “I swear by the existence preceptor that these days, jealousy has been overcome. No jealousy has been emerged and won’t be emerged since the creation of the world till now.” (Iqan, p. 165)
While the second leader of Baha’ism considers avoiding the sense of power as the criterion for choosing the leader of a community: “A person must be elected who doesn’t insist on presidency. As a matter of fact, he mustn’t think of fame and superiority, but he must say I don’t assume myself to be merited for this position and I can’t tolerate this burden. Such people are merited for presidency. The chairman must be benevolent not selfish and if it is a personal intention, it will be harmful for humane world and the public interest.” (Badayeul Athar, Vol. 1, p. 309)
Footnotes
Abbas Effendi, Sayyah personal article, Germany, the national institute of the faith press, 1st edition, 158 Badi’a, p. 38.
Hussein Ali Nouri, the Badi’a (answering the judge’s questions), the handwriting copy, written by Zeinul Moqarrabin’s handwriting, p. 172.
Hussein Ali Nouri, the Iqan, Germany: the national assembly of publishing Baha’i works in Persian and Arabic languages, 1998 A.D., p. 165.
Mahmoud Zarqani (the assistant and itinerary writer of Abbas Effendi in Europe and America trips), Badayeul Athar, the electronic copy, Vol. 1, p. 309).
