Abstract
The book “Mufavadat” (Negotiations) among the Bahá’ís, following the book “Iqān” (The Book of Certitude), is renowned for its argumentative discussions within the Bahá’í Faith. This work belongs to Abbas Effendi, the second leader of the Bahá’ís. During a lunchtime conversation, he responded to the questions posed by Mrs. Clifford Barney, an American. For this reason, this book is also known as “Lunchtime Conversation.”
Publication of the Book Mufavadat
The book Mufavadat of Abdul-Baha was published for the first time in the year 1908. This book includes some questions that Mrs. Clifford Barney asked from Abbas Effendi and he answered during her trips to Haifa between years 1904-1906.
The main topics covered in this book include:
- The influence of prophets on the advancement and education of humanity.
- Discussion of certain issues within Christianity.
- Signs and perfections of divine manifestations (in place of divine messengers).
- Diverse theories inconsistent with the fundamental principles of divine religions regarding origin, resurrection, and human perfections.
- Expressions of mystical and philosophical theories related to the existence of good and evil, the unity of existence, the distinction between ancient and contingent beings, and the balance of human perception.
Abdul-Baha endeavored to cover the lack of divine revelation in the leaders by emulating the characteristics of the divine prophets in Bab and Baha’u’llah. As a result, significant logical contradictions can be found in the “book Mufavadat” and the responses of Abbas Effendi. The Baha’is, considering their leader’s efforts as incomplete, have recently added a chapter called ‘The Issue of Strike’ to the end of Mufavadat, as if this chapter was also printed in 1908. Since this chapter addresses the issue of workers sharing in the profits of factories, Baha’is want to count it as one of the honors of Baha’ism and claim that in 1908 AD, concurrent with the first printing of Mufavadat, Abbas Effendi addressed this important issue. (1) Unaware that the 1908 printed version exists and does not include the chapter “The Issue of Strike.” Also, by comparing the stark differences in the type of printing of the last chapter and the previous parts, it is understood that this section was later added by the Baha’i organization itself.
The theories of Abdul-Baha in the Book Mufavadat
1-The fake prophecies
The fabricated correspondences between the prophecies in the Book of Daniel (an appendix to the Bible), and the appearance of Báb and Bahá’u’lláh are entirely illogical and incorrect. Among the points mentioned in the book Mufavadat (Negotiations), there is a reference to the vision of John, where a fictitious revelation introduces thirteen Imams after the Prophet of Islam, designating Bahá’u’lláh as the twelfth Imam once and then again as the person of Báb! (2)
2-Illiteracy
The leaders of the Bahá’í Faith are known for their commitment to education and learning. Báb, in the presence of Shaykh Abid (3), and his brother Bahá’u’lláh, who informed their father about writing night assignments (4), were introduced by Abbas Effendi. However, Abbas Effendi disregarded this account during lunch and presented Báb and Bahá’u’lláh as uneducated, hoping to continue their spiritual journey in the footsteps of divine prophets. (5)
3- Prediction of dual succession but infertility!
Abbas Effendi, in pursuit of promoting the Bahá’í Faith, repeatedly emphasized the issue of succession in the public consciousness. He compared the organizational structure of the Bahá’í Faith to Abrahamic religions (!) and acknowledged that Bahá’í Faith is a more magnificent event. Consequently, the number of successors to the Bahá’í leaders was announced as 24 instead of 12. (6) The history of Bahá’í Faith attests that this prediction never came true, and with the infertility of Shoghi Effendi, the second successor to Bahá’u’lláh, this lineage reached its conclusion.
4- Criteria of Comprehension
Abdul-Baha believes that humans have no direct means to discover the truth. In his explanation, he states that human senses are prone to error when seeking understanding. Reason alone does not possess complete knowledge, and tradition, which should be confirmed by both reason and sensory perception, is considered unreliable. In his book ‘The Tablets of the Divine Plan,’ he introduces the best way to receive the effusion of the Holy Spirit in discerning truth. (7) This path is entirely beyond human reach, and there exists no criterion for its correctness.
Conclusion
The contradictions and issues expressed in this writing might be acceptable for an ordinary book, but one does not expect a typical writer to make mistakes in their statements. However, when we consider the book Mufavadat (Negotiations) and the position of its speaker, Abdul-Baha, within the Bahá’í Faith and the perspective of Bahá’ís, the story is different. The existence of these sometimes-egregious errors from someone whom they consider as ‘Sirallah’ (the Exalted One of God) and ‘Mabīn Masūn az Khata-ye Āyāt’ (the Interpreter Immune from Error in Verses), namely Mirza Husayn Ali, the leader of the Bahá’ís, is far beyond expectations. This sign significantly reinforces the claim of divinity and celestial status made by the Bahá’í leaders and clearly demonstrates that all these statements originate from an organizational movement within the Bahá’í Faith.
References:
1.A summarized conversational about the Baha’i Faith, pp. 62-63
2.In page 76 was written: “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars… These twelve stars represent the twelve Imáms, who were the promoters of the religion of Muḥammad and the educators of the nation… And she being with child cried… By this offspring is meant the Báb, the Primal Point.”
3.In page 25 of Arabic Bayan, Ali Muhammad Bab Shirazi Said to his teacher “don’t punish me and don’t beat me! If you want to do punishment, you shouldn’t beat me more than 5 lashing.”
4.In page 46 of Memorials of the Faithful by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá wrote: “O my brother, if others are in doubt as to this affair, you and I both know the truth. Have you forgotten the loving-kindness of Bahá’u’lláh, and how He trained us both? What care He took with your lessons and your penmanship; how constantly He saw to your spelling and your composition, and encouraged you to practice the different calligraphic styles; He even guided your copy with His own blessed fingers.”
5.In page 15 wrote that: “Among the Shí‘ihs it is universally acknowledged that He never studied in any school, nor acquired learning from any teacher. To this the people of Shíráz, each and all, bear witness.” Also Abbas Effendi said about his father, Mirza Hossein Ali: “it is well known throughout Persia that He never studied in a school or associated with the learned and the divines.”
6.In page 67 was written that: “In every Dispensation there have been twelve chosen ones: In the time of Joseph there were twelve brothers; in the time of Moses there were twelve heads or chiefs of the tribes; in the time of Christ there were twelve Apostles; and in the time of Muḥammad there were twelve Imáms. But in this glorious Revelation there are twenty-four such souls, double the number of all the others, for so does its greatness require. These holy souls are in the presence of God seated upon their thrones, meaning that they reign eternally.”
7.In page 276-278 was written that: “There are only four accepted criteria of comprehension, that is, four criteria whereby the realities of things are understood. The first criterion is that of the senses;… One cannot therefore rely implicitly upon it. The second criterion is that of the intellect,… It is therefore evident that the criterion of reason is imperfect, as proven by the disagreements existing between the ancient philosophers as well as by their want of consistency and their propensity to change their own views. For if the criterion of intellect were perfect, all should have been united in their thoughts and agreed in their opinions. The third criterion is that of tradition,… Thus it is clear that man does not possess any criterion of knowledge that can be relied upon. But the grace of the Holy Spirit is the true criterion regarding which there is no doubt or uncertainty.”
| Title: Mufavadat (Lunchtime Conversation) |
| By: National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia |
| Year: 1908(1th); 2023(the newest) |
| Pages: 314 |
| Author: Abdul-Baha |
| Published By: Baha’i Publishing Trust |
| Translated By: Laura Clifford Barney |
| Location: London(1th); Australia (the newest) |
| Size of book: digital file |
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