Now, after the passage of four months, the Government has rendered its verdict, to the effect that the question should be put to the Bahá’í community, and that whatever decision the Bahá’ís arrive at will be conclusive. If the Bahá’í community considers Mírzá Muḥammad-‘Alí to be excommunicated, then he has no rights whatever to the takeover. Therefore, wherever Bahá’ís reside, they must, through the given city’s Spiritual Assembly, and bearing the signature of named individuals who are members of the elected body, inform the British authorities in Jerusalem, either by cable or letter sent through His Majesty’s ambassadors or consuls, that the Bahá’í community, in conformity with the explicit writings and the Will and Testament of His Eminence ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Sir Abbás Effendi, texts well known and available in His own hand—recognize His Eminence Shoghi Effendi as the one to whom all Bahá’ís must turn, and as the Guardian of the Cause of God, and that they have no connection whatever, either material or spiritual, with Mírzá Muḥammad-Alí, whom they consider to be excommunicated from the Bahá’í Faith, according to the explicit writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. It should be the request, therefore, of Bahá’ís of all countries, both men and women, in every important centre, wherever they may reside throughout the world, that the officials of His Britannic Majesty’s Government in Palestine, its Headquarters being Jerusalem, issue a categorical order that the key of the Holy Tomb—which is the Point of Adoration and the sanctuary of all Bahá’ís in the world—be restored to His Eminence Shoghi Effendi, the Chosen Branch, and in this way to render the Bahá’í community, whether of the East or of the West, more appreciative than ever of British justice. The text of both cable and letter, together with the address, have been written on a separate sheet, as enclosed. The message is to be signed by the representatives and known followers of the Bahá’í Faith in that city. 30: This dire calamity, this great affliction, the ... (142) This dire calamity, this great affliction, the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, may our lives be sacrificed for His meekness, has shaken us to the very depths. Our lives lie in ruins. In our hearts, the stars of happiness have set, the lamps of joy have been put out. No more, from the rose-garden of the All-Glorious, does the nightingale warble those songs that fed the spirit in days gone by. From over the flower-beds of Heaven, the dove trills and coos no more. Now is the bright morning dark, and blazing noon is night, and the sea of woe has surged, and a storm of sorrow has overwhelmed mankind.