April 5. On this date in 1952, Shoghi Effendi sent a cablegram titled "God's Avenging Wrath" to National Assemblies

April 5. On this date in 1952, Shoghi Effendi sent a cablegram titled "God's Avenging Wrath" to National Assemblies

God's Avenging Wrath
Inform National Assemblies that God's avenging wrath having afflicted in rapid succession during recent years two sons, brother and sister-in-law of Archbreaker of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant, has now struck down second son of Siyyid 'Alí, Nayer Afnán, pivot of machinations, connecting link between old and new Covenant-breakers. Time alone will reveal extent of havoc wreaked by this virus of violation injected, fostered over two decades in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's family. History will brand him one whose grandmother, wife of Bahá'u'lláh, joined breakers of His Covenant on morrow of His passing, whose parents lent her undivided support, whose father openly accused 'Abdu'l-Bahá as one deserving capital punishment, who broke his promise to the Báb's wife to escort her to Holy Land, precipitating thereby her death, who was repeatedly denounced by Center of the Covenant as His chief enemy, whose eldest brother through deliberate misrepresentation of facts inflicted humiliation upon defenders of the House of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdád, whose sister-in-law is championing the cause of declared enemies of Faith, whose brothers supported him attributing to 'Abdu'l-Bahá responsibility for fatal disease which afflicted their mother, who himself in retaliation first succeeded in winning over through marriage my eldest sister, subsequently paved way for marriage of his brothers to two other grandchildren of the Master, who was planning a fourth marriage between his daughter and grandson of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, thereby involving in shameful marriages three branches of His family, who over twenty years schemed to undermine the position of the Center of Faith through association with representatives of traditional enemies of Faith in Persia, Muslim Arab communities, notables and civil authorities in Holy Land, who lately was scheduled to appear as star witness on behalf of daughter of Badí'u'llah in recent lawsuit challenging the authority conferred upon Guardian of Faith in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Testament.
--Shoghi
[Cablegram, April 5, 1952]