Bahá'u'lláh's Warning to Mírzá Muḥammad-'Alí in a Tablet to Siyyid Mihdíy-i-Dahájí:

Abstract: This article presents a provisional translation of a brief but notable Tablet of Bahá’u’lláh written to Siyyid Mihdíy-i-Dahájí, concerning the station of Bahá’u’lláh’s son Mírzá Muḥammad-'Alí (entitled by Him ‘the Greater Branch’), in which He issues a stark warning regarding the possibility of His son straying from His Cause. Through close textual and historical examination, the article considers the significance of this Tablet in light of the broader themes of the nature of spiritual authority and succession in the Bahá’í Faith, Bahá’u’lláh’s admonitions to remain firm in His Covenant and Testament, and His aims to prevent schism.