# The Aghsan

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Grover Gonzales, The Aghsan, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> The Aghṣán
> by
> Grover Gonzales
> 2021
> 
> The Arabic word Aghṣán ‫( ن اﻏﺼﺎ‬sing. Ghuṣn ‫غصن‬, dual Ghusnan) meaning “Branches”, has been
> quoted and discussed by many scholars and well-known writers and Institutions at different levels. The
> main reason was the very important issue of Succession in the Guardianship and the future Bahá’ı́
> Administration without a Guardian.
> 
> The Bahá’ı́ Community, after the passing of Shoghi Effendi, had a difficult time understanding the
> succession to the Guardianship. His passing was devastating; however, the legal decision that the
> succession was ended, alleviated many, particularly those of Catholic background, by reasons not far to
> find. Others had their faith shaken and became inactive. A very small number followed Remey the
> Spurious Aghṣán, ending with a kind of aberration with Pepe Remey Aghṣán, a non-Bahá’ı́.
> 
> Both, Wikipedia and Bahaipedia have this definition: “Aghṣán (‘Branches’), as a term in literature of
> the Bahá’ı́ Faith referring to male descendants of Bahá’u’lláh. It has particular implications not only for
> the disposition of endowments but also for the succession of authority following the passing of
> Bahá’u’lláh and of his son ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.” Many others define this term as ‘the male blood descendants
> of Baha’u’llah” or “male line descendants.” This is the most common understanding.
> 
> ‘Alí Nakhjavání, the well-known Bahá’ı́ scholar said: “As to the question of using two alternatives
> for the future House of Justice, considering what happened to the Aghṣán, all of whom broke the
> Covenant during Shoghi Effendi's lifetime, I tend to agree with you that `Abdu'l-Bahá’s purpose was to
> protect Shoghi Effendi. During Shoghi Effendi's ministry, there were seven Aghsán, all grandsons of
> `Abdu’l-Bahá: two of them were his own brothers and five of them were male first cousins.”
> 
> The sons mentioned by Nakhjavání were: Ḥusayn and Riáz, and the first cousins: Ruhí, Suhayl, Fu’ád,
> Muníb and Ḥasan; all of them from the female line (daughters of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá).
> 
> The Sons (Aghṣán) of Bahá’u’lláh, at the time of His ascension, were:
> By Navváb:
> `Abdu'l-Bahá, (His sons died in infancy)
> By Fáṭimih,
> Mírzá Muḥammad ‘Alí (had three sons: Músa, Shu‘a and Amín)
> Badí’u’lláh (had one son: Ṣaláh)
> Zíyá’u’lláh (had no sons)
> By Gawhar
> (No sons)
> 
> The only Aghṣán here, are the three sons of Mírzá Muḥammad ‘Alí (the “Arch breaker of the Divine
> Covenant”) and the son of Badí’u’lláh (the” Chief Lieutenant” of the former).
> Only two Ghusnan are mentioned in the Kitáb-i-‘Ahd: Ghuṣn-i-A‘ẓám [the Most Mighty Branch,
> `Abdu'l-Bahá] and Ghuṣn-i-Akbar [the Most Great Branch, Mírzá Muḥammad ‘Alí]
> The other Aghṣán were Mírzá Ziyá’u’lláh, Mírzá Mihdí (Ghuṣn-i-Aṭhar “the Purest Branch”), and
> Mírzá Badí’u’lláh.
> 
> When `Abdu'l-Bahá removed Mírzá Muḥammad ‘Alí from the succession, due to his opposition to
> Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant and other atrocities against the Cause, He replaced him with Shoghi Effendi, with
> all his potential powers, the title of Branch included. He was named Ghuṣn-i-Mumtáz (The Chosen
> Branch). Mumtáz also means, choicest or distinguished.
> 
> -o-
> 
> The laymen did not have much to say on this issue; however, they could use (without knowing it) the
> Principle of Parsimony, according to which an explanation of a thing or event is made with the fewest
> possible assumptions. Also used as Occam’s Razor premise: "the simplest explanation is usually the
> best one."
> 
> It is clear and evident, that the term Aghṣán, as used by Baha’u’llah, refers to His Sons only, according
> to the translations of Shoghi Effendi and others, for example:
> 
> -Gleanings, p. 244: ” …Some have proclaimed their allegiance to one of My Branches (Sons),…”
> -ESW, p.93: “…Thou hast admonished one of Thy Branches (Sons)”
> -Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 239: “…in particular, the Aghṣán (His sons) to ponder…”
> -Ḥaydar-‘Alí in Taherzadeh, Covenant, p.171: “Neither should I address them to any single Ghuṣn
> (Branch), instead they should be addressed to the Aghṣán (Branches).”
> -Idem, p. 76: “It is impossible for the One True God to entrust the guardianship of His Cause to two
> individuals at the same time... Apart from all this, who is it in this world of being that can claim to rival
> the Master on any level.”
> 
> With the premise expressed above, some texts on the subject will be presented, using notes in brackets
> and in bold print. A pertinent note is added after each paragraph.
> 
> The basis of any discussion on the subject are, of course, God’s Most Holy Book and His Testament, and
> then, the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá.
> KITÁB-I-AQDAS
> 
> Aqdas, v.121
> 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 [`Abdu'l-Bahá], Who hath branched from this Ancient Root.
> 
> Aqdas, v. 174
> O people of the world! When the Mystic Dove will have winged its flight from its Sanctuary of Praise and
> sought its far-off goal, its hidden habitation, refer ye whatsoever ye understand not in the Book to Him
> Who hath branched from this mighty Stock.
> 
> Verse 121 refers to leadership and verse 174 to Interpretation.
> Muḥammad-Alí accepted the first verse as referred to `Abdu'l-Bahá, since it is quoted in the Aqdas, but
> that the second one refers to both; an impossibility to have one leader and two interpreters. The obsessed
> one against the Faith, Rev. Miller in his Azalí tract “The Bahá’ı́ Faith”, contends that Mírzá Muḥammad-
> ‘Alí would have been a much better Interpreter. A crucial point is that verse174 refers to one person, HIM
> not to them.
> 
> Aqdas, v. 42
> Endowments dedicated to charity revert to God, the Revealer of Signs. None hath the right to dispose of
> them without leave from Him Who is the Dawning-place of Revelation [Baha’u’llah]. After Him, this
> authority shall pass to [My Sons], and after them to [a] House of Justice – should it be established in the
> world {by then} – that they may use these endowments for the benefit of the Places which have been
> exalted in this Cause, and for whatsoever hath been enjoined upon them by Him who is the God of might
> and power. Otherwise, the endowments shall revert to the people of Baha who speak not except by His
> leave and judge save in accordance with what God hath decreed in this Tablet –, they are the Champions
> [Custodians] of victory betwixt heaven and earth – that they may use them in the manner that hath been
> laid down in the Book by God, the Mighty, the Bountiful.
> 
> There was no need to explain that the end of the Guardianship was anticipated in the Aqdas, since the end
> was already established in the same Most Holy Book.
> 
> The term Champions has also been translated as: Custodians, Protectors, and Guardians. When the Hands
> of the Cause appointed nine of them to serve at the Holy Land, they called them Custodians, something
> that the believers understood as: “the people of Bahá who speak not except by His leave…”
> 
> KITÁB-I-‘AHD
> (Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 220)
> The Will of the divine Testator is this: It is incumbent upon the Aghṣán, the Afnán and 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 [`Abdu'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 [Muhammad Ali] to be beneath
> that of the Most Great Branch [Abdu'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. ***
> 
> [‘Abdu’l-Baha] in brackets is referred to the Most Mighty Branch in one place and the Most Great
> Branch in another. It seems that the last verse *** could be better read as:
> ***Verily God hath ordained the station of the Most Great Branch [Muḥammad-Alí] to be beneath
> that of the Most Mighty Branch [`Abdu'l-Bahá]. He is in truth the Ordainer, the All-Wise. We have
> chosen the Akbar [Most Great] after the A‘ẓám [Most Mighty], as decreed by Him Who is the All-
> Knowing, the All-Informed.***
> Since both titles are superlatives, it will be better to use the Most Mighty for `Abdu'l-Bahá always, and
> the Most Great for Muḥammad-Alí, instead of the Most Great and the Greater. Since this is a matter of
> Arabic grammarians, it would be even better to have only the transliteration, A‘ẓám and Akbar.
> 
> The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’
> 
> In short, O ye beloved of the Lord! The Center of Sedition, Mírzá Muḥammad ‘Alí, in accordance with
> the decisive words of God and by reason of his boundless transgression… hath grievously fallen and
> been cut off from the Holy Tree…
> These words of `Abdu'l-Bahá constitute the most powerful declaration made by Him ever, the expulsion
> of Muḥammad ‘Alí, the one that would succeed Him, who was designated by the Manifestation in His
> Testament. Muḥammad ‘Alí, the Arch breaker of Baha’u’llah’s Covenant is not mentioned in The Most
> Holy Book; had he been mentioned in it, the problem would have been more complicated. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> had to name another Guardian in his place, to conform with the Kitáb-i-‘Ahd. The selection of Shoghi
> Effendi – the youthful Branch, proved really a God given mandate.
> 
> -o-
> 
> O my loving friends! After the passing away of this wronged one [`Abdu'l-Bahá], it is incumbent upon the
> Aghṣán (Branches), the Afnán (Twigs) of the Sacred Lote-Tree, the Hands (pillars) of the Cause of God
> and the loved ones of the Abhá Beauty to turn unto Shoghi Effendi--the youthful branch …-- as he is the
> sign of God, the chosen branch, the Guardian of the Cause of God, he unto whom all the Aghṣán, the
> Afnán, the Hands of the Cause of God and His loved ones must turn. He is the Interpreter of the Word of
> God and after him will succeed the first-born of his lineal descendants.
> This paragraph shows that only his lineal descendants could succeed him. Regarding the Guardianship,
> He only refers to the youthful branch, and always use he or him, never they or them. Linear descendants
> preclude anyone to claim Guardianship, (at least for one thousand years) and this includes any descendant
> of Baha’u’llah.
> When Husayn Rabbani was expelled from the Faith for his association with Covenant Breakers and,
> among other matters, ‘demeaned himself marrying a low-born Christian girl in Europe;’ an explanation
> was requested regarding the terms applied. In the answer, a lapsus calami occurred when one of the
> secretaries called Husayn Rabbani an aghsan and afnan, from whom much more was expected. Certainly,
> he was an afnan, related to the Bab, seven cousins removed.
> -o-
> 
> O ye beloved of the Lord! It is incumbent upon the Guardian of the Cause of God to appoint in his own
> lifetime him that shall become his successor,…Thus, should the first-born of the Guardian of the Cause
> of God not manifest in himself the truth of the words “The child is the secret essence of its sire," that is,
> should he not inherit of the spiritual within him (the Guardian of the Cause of God) and his glorious
> lineage not be matched with a goodly character, then must he, (the Guardian of the Cause of God) choose
> another Son [a younger son to succeed him].
> For he [Shoghi Effendi] is, after [the guardianship of] `Abdu'l-Bahá, the Guardian of the Cause of
> God, (*) the Afnán, the Hands (pillars) of the Cause and the beloved of the Lord must obey him and turn
> unto him. He that obeyeth him not, hath not obeyed God; he that turneth away from him, hath turned
> away from God and he that denies him, hath denied the True One.
> 
> (*) Note that, the Aghṣán are not mentioned.
> There was no possibility to elect any “branch”, unless one considers the sons of Muḥammad-‘Alí and
> Badí’u’lláh, the worst enemies of the Religion of God. ‘Abdu’l-Baha to protect Shoghi Effendi and to
> avoid Muhammad Ali and his allies to have their own successor, wrote about a succession to maintain
> them at bay.
> -o-
> It is incumbent upon the Aghṣán [Sons of Baha’u’llah], the Afnán of the Sacred Lote-Tree, the Hands
> (pillars) of the Cause of God and the loved ones of the Abhá Beauty to turn unto Shoghi Effendi—the
> youthful branch branched from the two hallowed and sacred Lote-Trees…
> 
> Shoghi Effendi is referred to, several times, as “the youthful branch”, as opposed to anyone that will
> claim to be a branch.
> -o-
> The mighty stronghold shall remain impregnable and safe through obedience to him [Shoghi Effendi]
> who is the Guardian of the Cause of God. It is incumbent upon the members of the House of Justice,
> upon all the Aghṣán, the Afnán, the Hands of the Cause of God to show their obedience, submissiveness,
> and subordination unto the Guardian of the Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lowly before him. He
> that opposeth him hath opposed the True One, …
> If the members of the House of Justice must show their obedience, submissiveness, and subordination
> unto the Guardian, there is not much room to work independently. The House of Justice instituted by
> God must be completely independent, although always considering the thoughts and feelings of the
> people. The appointed Guardian is Shoghi Effendi – the youthful branch, no other.
> Hájí Mírzá Taqí Afnán, the cousin of the Báb, received a letter from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, commanding him
> to arrange for the election of the Universal House of Justice should the threats against Him materialize.
> He was also informed that a Testament exists.
> Without a plenipotentiary Guardian, an election of the Universal House of Justice at that time, would
> have been elected, with more probability, consisting of the most influential and well-known believers. It
> would have been astonishing to see one of the sessions; Sohrab fighting Remey, Ávárih adding wood to
> the fire and pressing to be the President, Dreyfus trying to translate, Nı́kú backing Ávárih, Khayru’lláh
> trying to have his share; a pandemonium in the mare magnum and the Faith sunk in it. Thanks God we
> had Shoghi Effendi if that case would have happened.
> Had Shoghi Effendi considered that the Succession to the guardianship was of paramount
> importance, he had the duty, without any objection, to have another wife; something legal and moral.
> There is no room to for adducing Bada’, a term that ‘denotes a change of a divine decision or
> ruling in response to the emergence of new circumstances.’ This only happens during the life of Major
> Manifestations, a time during which They can do whatsoever They please.
> Shoghi Effendi fulfilled all his duties and beyond them. He did not appoint any successor, to be
> consistent with the Kitab-i-Aqdas and the Kitab-i-Ahd. With one stroke of his pen, he defeated all the
> internal enemies of the Faith and prepared the believers to do the same with the external ones. He
> wrapped up Shı́‘a Imams “the superstition of the past.” He did not translate the Most Holy Book in its
> entirety, since the legal part, he considered a duty of the Universal House of Justice. He was the very
> person that fulfilled the Biblical prophecy of the 1335 years (Daniel 12:12)
> To-day’s reality proves, without any doubt, that God’s purpose, was completely clear regarding the
> future of the Bahá’í World Order, with His People governing themselves under His guide.
> 
> It could be, no doubt, some concern to treat ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi in the same footing,
> when referring to both as Guardians, because both were Leaders and Interpreters of the Cause, which they
> are. However, the following quotation of Shoghi Efendi about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, shows that He is much more
> than that: ‘Abdu’l-Baha “One Who, though essentially human and holding a station radically and
> fundamentally different from that occupied by Bahá'u'lláh and His Forerunner, could still claim to be
> the perfect Exemplar of His Faith, to be endowed with super-human knowledge, and to be regarded as the
> stainless mirror reflecting His light…” (God Passes By, p. 241)
> 
> GG
>
> — *The Aghsan (Used by permission of the curator)*