Editing ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (section)

==Early years of his ministry==

After Baháʼu'lláh died on 29 May 1892, the [[Tablets of Baháʼu'lláh#Kitáb-i-ʻAhd (Book of the Covenant)|Book of the Covenant]] of Baháʼu'lláh (his will) named ʻAbdu'l-Bahá as Centre of the Covenant, successor and interpreter of Baháʼu'lláh's writings.{{efn|In the ''Kitáb-i-ʻAhd'' Baháʼu'lláh refers to his eldest son ʻAbdu'l-Bahá as ''G͟husn-i-Aʻzam'' (meaning "Mightiest Branch" or "Mightier Branch") and his second eldest son [[Mírzá Muhammad ʻAlí]] as ''G͟husn-i-Akbar'' (meaning "Greatest Branch" or "Greater Branch").}}{{sfn|Taherzadeh|2000|p=256}}{{sfn|Iranica|1989}}

Baháʼu'lláh designates his successor with the following verses:
{{blockquote|The Will of the divine Testator is this: It is incumbent upon the [[Aghsán]], the [[Afnán]] and [[Baháʼu'lláh's family|My Kindred]] to turn, one and all, their faces towards the Most Mighty Branch. Consider that which We have revealed in Our Most Holy Book: 'When the ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the Book of My Revelation is ended, turn your faces toward Him Whom God hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root.' The object of this sacred verse is none other except the Most Mighty Branch [ʻAbdu'l-Bahá]. Thus have We graciously revealed unto you Our potent Will, and I am verily the Gracious, the All-Powerful. Verily God hath ordained the station of the Greater Branch [Muḥammad ʻAlí] to be beneath that of the Most Great Branch [ʻAbdu'l-Bahá]. He is in truth the Ordainer, the All-Wise. We have chosen 'the Greater' after 'the Most Great', as decreed by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.|{{harvtxt|Baháʼu'lláh|1873–1892}} }}

In Baháʼu'lláh's will, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's half-brother, [[Mírzá Muhammad ʻAlí|Muhammad ʻAlí]], was mentioned by name as being subordinate to ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. Muhammad ʻAlí became jealous of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and set out to establish authority for himself as an alternative leader with the support of his brothers Badi’u'llah and Ḍíyáʼu'llah.<ref name="Qazvini" /> He began correspondence with Baháʼís in Iran, initially in secret, casting doubts in others' minds about ʻAbdu'l-Bahá.{{sfn|Balyuzi|2001|p=53}} While most Baháʼís followed ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, a handful followed Muhammad ʻAlí including such prominent Bahá’ís as Mirza Javad and [[Ibrahim George Kheiralla]], an early Baháʼí missionary to America.<ref>{{harvnb|Browne|1918|p=145}}</ref>

Muhammad ʻAlí and Mirza Javad began to openly accuse ʻAbdu'l-Bahá of assuming too much authority, suggesting that he believed himself to be a [[Manifestation of God (Baháʼí Faith)|Manifestation of God]], equal in status to Baháʼu'lláh.<ref>{{harvnb|Browne|1918|p=77}}</ref> It was at this time that ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, to counter the accusations leveled against him, stated in tablets to the West that he was to be known as "ʻAbdu'l-Bahá" an Arabic phrase meaning the Servant of Bahá to make it clear that he was not a Manifestation of God, and that his station was only servitude.{{sfn|Balyuzi|2001|p=60}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/TAB/tab-473.html.utf8?query=my%7Cname%7Cabdul&action=highlight#gr5 |title=Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas |author=Abdul-Baha}}</ref> ʻAbdu'l-Bahá left a [[Will and Testament of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá|Will and Testament]] that established the framework of the administration of the Baháʼí Faith, the two highest institutions of which were the Universal House of Justice, and the [[Guardian (Baháʼí Faith)|Guardianship]], for which he appointed his grandson [[Shoghi Effendi]] as the Guardian.{{sfn|Iranica|1989}} With the exception of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, Muhammad ʻAlí was supported by all of the remaining [[Baháʼu'lláh's family|male relatives of Baháʼu'lláh]], including Shoghi Effendi's father, Mírzá Hádí Shírází.{{sfn|Smith|2000|pp=[https://archive.org/details/conciseencyclope0000smit/page/169 169–170]}} However''',''' in general the Bahá’ís experienced very little effect from the propaganda of''' '''Muhammad ʻAlí and his allies; in the ʻAkká area, the followers of Muhammad ʻAlí represented six families at most,  had no common religious activities,<ref name="WarburgStudies">{{Cite book |last=Warburg |first=Margit |title=Baháʼí: Studies in Contemporary Religion |year=2003 |publisher=Signature Books |page=64 |url=http://signaturebooks.com/?p=1164 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130202111901/http://signaturebooks.com/?p=1164 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 February 2013 |isbn=1-56085-169-4 |access-date=19 October 2016 }}</ref> and were almost wholly assimilated into Muslim society.<ref name="maceoin3">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Bahai and Babi Schisms |encyclopedia=Iranica |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bahaism-iii |first=Denis |last=MacEoin |author-link=Denis MacEoin |quote=In Palestine, the followers of Moḥammad-ʿAlī continued as a small group of families opposed to the Bahai leadership in Haifa; they have now been almost wholly re-assimilated into Muslim society.}}</ref>

Religions in the past faced schism and doctrinal drift after the death of their prophet founders.{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=46}} ʻAbdu'l-Bahá however managed to preserve the unity and doctrinal integrity of the Baháʼí Faith, even in the face of serious threats from his half-brother's opposition.{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=46}} His success is especially notable given that even in the midst of these attacks his leadership brought about considerable expansion of the Baháʼí community beyond its initial cultural and geographic roots.{{sfn|Smith|2008|p=46}}

=== First Western pilgrims ===

[[File:Western Pilgrims early 1901-1.jpg|thumb|right|Early Western Baháʼí pilgrims. Standing left to right: [[Charles Mason Remey]], Sigurd Russell, Edward Getsinger and [[Laura Clifford Barney]]; Seated left to right: [[Ethel Jenner Rosenberg]], Madam Jackson, [[Shoghi Effendi]], Helen Ellis Cole, [[Lua Getsinger]], Emogene Hoagg]]

By the end of 1898, Western pilgrims started traveling to Akka on pilgrimage to visit ʻAbdu'l-Bahá; this group of pilgrims, including [[Phoebe Hearst]], was the first time that Baháʼís raised up in the West had met ʻAbdu'l-Bahá.{{sfn|Balyuzi|2001|p=69}} The first group arrived in 1898 and throughout late 1898 to early 1899 Western Baháʼís sporadically visited ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. The group was relatively young containing mainly women from high American society in their 20s.{{sfn|Hogenson|2010|p=x}} The group of Westerners aroused suspicion for the authorities, and consequently ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's confinement was tightened.{{sfn|Hogenson|2010|p=308}} During the next decade ʻAbdu'l-Bahá would be in constant communication with Baháʼís around the world, encouraging them to teach the religion; the group included Susan Moody, Lua Getsinger, Laura Clifford Barney, Herbert Hopper and [[May Maxwell|May Ellis Bolles]] in Paris (all Americans); Englishman [[Thomas Breakwell]]; and Frenchman {{Interlanguage link|Hippolyte Dreyfus|fr|3=Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney}}.{{sfn|Balyuzi|2001|pp=72–96}} It was Laura Clifford Barney who, by asking questions of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá over many years and many visits to Haifa, compiled what later became the book [[Some Answered Questions]].{{sfn|Balyuzi|2001|p=82}}

===Ministry, 1901–1912===

During the final years of the 19th century, while ʻAbdu'l-Bahá was still officially a prisoner and confined to ʻAkka, he organized the transfer of the remains of the [[Báb]] from Iran to Palestine. He then organized the purchase of land on [[Mount Carmel]] that Baháʼu'lláh had instructed should be used to lay the remains of the Báb, and organized for the construction of the [[Shrine of the Báb]]. This process took another 10 years.{{sfn|Balyuzi|2001|pp=90–93}} With the increase of pilgrims visiting ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, Muhammad ʻAlí conspired with the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman authorities]] to re-introduce stricter terms on ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's imprisonment in August 1901.{{sfn|Iranica|1989}}{{sfn|Balyuzi|2001|pp=94–95}} By 1902, however, due to the support of the Governor of ʻAkka, the situation was greatly eased; while pilgrims were able to once again visit ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, he was still confined to the city.{{sfn|Balyuzi|2001|pp=94–95}} In February 1903, two followers of Muhammad ʻAlí, including Badiʻu'llah and Siyyid ʻAliy-i-Afnan, broke with Muhammad ʻAli and wrote books and letters giving details of Muhammad ʻAli's plots and noting that what was circulating about ʻAbdu'l-Bahá was fabrication.{{sfn|Balyuzi|2001|p=102}}<ref>{{harvnb|Afroukhteh|2003|p=166}}</ref>

From 1902 to 1904, even as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá directed the construction of the [[Shrine of the Báb]], he initiated execution of two additional projects; the restoration of the [[House of the Báb]] in [[Shiraz, Iran]] and the construction of the first [[Baháʼí House of Worship]] in [[Ashgabat]], Turkmenistan.{{sfn|Balyuzi|2001|p=107}} ʻAbdu'l-Bahá asked Aqa Mirza Aqa to coordinate the restoration of the house of the Báb to its state at the time of the Báb's declaration to [[Mulla Husayn]] in 1844;{{sfn|Balyuzi|2001|p=107}} he also entrusted the work on the House of Worship to [[Vakil-u'd-Dawlih]].{{sfn|Balyuzi|2001|p=109}}

In his role as head of the Bahá’í Faith, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would occasionally communicate with leaders of thought to offer commentary and guidance based on the Bahá’í teachings, and in defense of the Bahá’í community. During this period, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá communicated with a number of [[Young Turk]]s, who sought to reform to the reign of [[Abdul Hamid II|Sultan Abdul Hamid II]], including [[Namık Kemal]], [[Ziya Pasha]] and [[Midhat Pasha]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Alkan |first=Necati |date=2011 |title=Late Ottoman Palestine: The Period of Young Turk Rule |chapter=The Young Turks and the Baháʼís in Palestine  |chapter-url=  http://bahai-library.com/alkan_young_turks_palestine | editor1-last= Ben-Bassat | editor1-first= Yuval |editor2-last= Ginio |editor2-first= Eyal |publisher=I.B.Tauris |page=262 |isbn=978-1848856318}}</ref> He emphasized Baháʼís "seek freedom and love liberty, hope for equality, are well-wishers of humanity and ready to sacrifice their lives to unite humanity" but on a more broad approach than the Young Turks. [[Abdullah Cevdet]], one of the founders of the [[Committee of Union and Progress]] who considered the Baháʼí Faith an intermediary step between Islam and the ultimate abandonment of religious belief, would go on trial for defense of Baháʼís in a periodical he founded.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hanioğlu |first=M. Şükrü |author-link=M. Şükrü Hanioğlu |date=1995 |title=The Young Turks in Opposition |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fU7azFR3AqcC&pg=PA202 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=202 |isbn=978-0195091151}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Polat |first=Ayşe |year=2015 |title=A Conflict on Bahaʼism and Islam in 1922: Abdullah Cevdet and State Religious Agencies |url=http://insanvetoplum.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Ays%CC%A7e-Polat.pdf |journal=Insan & Toplum |volume=5 |issue=10 |access-date= 27 September 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161001173158/http://insanvetoplum.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Ays%CC%A7e-Polat.pdf |archive-date= 1 October 2016 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

‛Abdu'l-Bahá also had contact with military leaders, including such individuals as [[Bursalı Mehmet Tahir Bey]] and [[Hasan Bedreddin]]. The latter, who in an earlier period was involved in the overthrow of [[Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire|Sultan Abdülaziz]] in 1876, is commonly known as Bedri Paşa or Bedri Pasha and is referred to in Persian Baháʼí sources as Bedri Bey (Badri Beg). He probably came to know ‘Abdu’l-Baha around 1898 when he served in the Ottoman administration in Akká. Persian sources cite him was a Baháʼí and he who translated ‛Abdu'l-Baha's works into French.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last=Alkan |first=Necati |date=2011 |title=Late Ottoman Palestine: The Period of Young Turk Rule |chapter=The Young Turks and the Baháʼís in Palestine  |chapter-url=  http://bahai-library.com/alkan_young_turks_palestine | editor1-last= Ben-Bassat | editor1-first= Yuval |editor2-last= Ginio |editor2-first= Eyal |publisher=I.B.Tauris |page=266 |isbn=978-1848856318}}</ref> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá continued to communicate with him for several years when he was governor of Albania.<ref name=":0" />

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá also met [[Muhammad Abduh]], one of the key figures of [[Islamic Modernism]] and the [[Salafi movement]], in Beirut, at a time when the two men shared similar goals of religious reform.<ref>{{cite book |last=Scharbrodt |first=Oliver |date=2008 |title=Islam and the Baháʼí Faith: A Comparative Study of Muhammad ʻAbduh and ʻAbdul-Baha ʻAbbas |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780203928578}}</ref><ref>
{{cite journal |last=Cole |first=Juan R.I. |author-link=Juan Cole |year=1983 |title=Rashid Rida on the Bahai Faith: A Utilitarian Theory of the Spread of Religions |url=http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/bahai/2000/rida.htm |journal=Arab Studies Quarterly |volume=5 |issue=2 |page=278}}</ref> [[Rashid Rida]] asserts that during his visits to Beirut, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá would attend Abduh's study sessions.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Cole |first=Juan R.I. |author-link=Juan Cole |date=1981 |title=Muhammad ʻAbduh and Rashid Rida: A Dialogue on the Baha'i Faith |url=http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/diglib/articles/A-E/cole/abduh/abduh.htm |journal=World Order |volume=15 |issue=3 |page=11}}</ref> Regarding the meetings of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá and Muhammad ʻAbduh, Shoghi Effendi asserts that "His several interviews with the well-known Shaykh Muhammad ʻAbdu served to enhance immensely the growing prestige of the community and spread abroad the fame of its most distinguished member."{{sfn|Effendi|1944|p=[http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/GPB/gpb-12.html#pg193 193]}}

Due to Muhammad ʻAli's accusations against him, a Commission of Inquiry interviewed ʻAbdu'l-Bahá in 1905, almost resulting in exile to [[Fezzan]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Alkan |first=Necati |date=2011 |title=Late Ottoman Palestine: The Period of Young Turk Rule |chapter=The Young Turks and the Baháʼís in Palestine  |chapter-url=  http://bahai-library.com/alkan_young_turks_palestine | editor1-last= Ben-Bassat | editor1-first= Yuval |editor2-last= Ginio |editor2-first= Eyal |publisher=I.B.Tauris |page=263 |isbn=978-1848856318}}</ref>{{sfn|Balyuzi|2001|pp=111–113}}<ref>{{harvnb|Momen|1981|pp=320–323}}</ref> In response, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá wrote the sultan a letter protesting that his followers refrain from involvement in partisan politics and that his ''[[tariqa]]'' had guided many Americans to Islam.<ref>{{cite book |last=Alkan |first=Necati |date=2011 |title=Late Ottoman Palestine: The Period of Young Turk Rule |chapter=The Young Turks and the Baháʼís in Palestine  |chapter-url=  http://bahai-library.com/alkan_young_turks_palestine | editor1-last= Ben-Bassat | editor1-first= Yuval |editor2-last= Ginio |editor2-first= Eyal |publisher=I.B.Tauris |page=264 |isbn=978-1848856318}}</ref> The next few years in ʻAkka were relatively free of pressures and pilgrims were able to come and visit ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. By 1909 the mausoleum of the Shrine of the Báb was completed.{{sfn|Balyuzi|2001|p=109}}