1- Bahai Scripture and Official Documents Have Been Written in Three Languages
Although Abdul Baha announces that an auxiliary language is needed and will be "one of the great factors in the unification of man,"
(Abdul Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 182)

Bahai scriptures have been authored in at least three different languages. Shoghi Effendi’s book, God Passes By, was written in English as are most letters and announcements from the Universal House of Justice. The books written by the Bab, Bahaullah, and Abdul Baha have been written in a mixture of both Arabic and Farsi, thus rendering them useless for a great range of audiences. Furthermore, there are even Turkish Poems written by Abdul Baha.
(Abdul Baha, Majmu`iy-i munajat-hayi Hazrat Abdul Baha (Germany: Lajniyi Milli Nashr Athar Amri), pp. 396-397)

Bahaullah insists that although only two languages are needed - the mother tongue and the auxiliary language - much effort must be put to limit the languages of the world to one, that is the auxiliary language:
We have decreed before that it has been destined to speak with two tongues and a great effort must be put to limit this to one [tongue] and the same [applies] to the handwriting. So that the lives of the people will not be wasted and nullified in learning different languages.
(Abdul Hamid Ishraq Khawari, Payam-i malakut, p. 33.)

One becomes speechless when reading these words. How can someone who has revealed his own words in two different languages, and whose successors have added a third and fourth language in their writings, give the order to make as much effort possible to limit the world’s languages to one? Why does a person that claims to be the Manifestation of God not practice what he preaches?

With this attitude, instead of kick starting the Auxiliary Language by revealing their words in a single unified language, Bahai leaders have significantly retarded its creation by revealing texts in multiple languages.

2- Why Would a Persian Prophet Communicate with Persians in Arabic?
The Bab, Bahaullah, and Abdul Baha have all used a mixture of Arabic and Farsi in their writings and speeches. This makes no sense given that they were speaking to a group of people who were Persians not Arabs. What is the use in talking to a Persian in Arabic if he is not going to understand what you are saying and the message will not be conveyed?

Based on common sense, the Quran says: We sent no messenger but with the tongue of his people so that he may explain to them.
(Quran, 14:4)

If the purpose of a Messenger or Prophet is to explain and convey God’s words to the people, then it makes sense for him to speak their tongue, not some foreign language. The question is, why did these three figures perform such an unreasonable act in contrast to what is expected from a divine figure? And then on top of this, claim that they strive for a unified language? We will allow Adib Taherzadeh - a former member of the Universal House of Justice - to explain why:
In Persia in the nineteenth century most people were illiterate, under the domination of the clergy whom they blindly obeyed. There were two educated classes, divines and government officials, plus a small number of others. Only the religious leaders and divines, however, could be called learned. They used to spend decades of their lives applying themselves to theology, Islamic law, jurisprudence, philosophy, medicine, astronomy and, above all, the Arabic language and its literature. Since Arabic was the language of the Qur'an, the divines attached great importance to its study. Many would spend a lifetime mastering the language because of its vast scope and wealth of expression. They considered no treatise worthy of perusal unless it was composed and written in Arabic, and no sermon from the pulpit as moving or eloquent unless the Mulla preaching it had used an abundance of difficult and often incomprehensible Arabic words. By this means they excited the imagination of their often illiterate audiences who were fascinated by the apparently learned discourse of their clergy, despite the fact that they might not understand a single word. The normal yardstick for determining the depth of a man's learning was his knowledge of the Arabic language and the size of his turban!
(Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha’u’llah (Oxford, 1974), vol. 1, pp. 18-19.)

What Adib Taherzadeh says boils down to this: The reason someone would speak Arabic to a Farsi audience, was to make them believe he was knowledgeable although the audience didn’t understand a word that he was uttering. The same attitude has been followed by the Bahai figures. Truly, what purpose do the abundance of difficult and often incomprehensible Arabic words, put on top of the high amounts of esoteric, mystical, vague, and sometimes incomprehensible expressions in the works of the Bab and Bahaullah serve, but to excite the imagination of their audiences and induce them into thinking they are knowledgeable?

3- Bahais Have Been Ordered to Learn Multiple Languages!
Although Bahaullah insists that "We have decreed before that it has been destined to speak with two tongues and a great effort must be put to limit this to one [tongue],"
(Abdul Hamid Ishraq Khawari, Payam-i malakut, p. 33)

Bahais have been ordered to learn many other languages. The Farsi language has been held with high esteem. Bahais have been ordered to learn it and it has even been prophesized that it will soon be sanctified in all the world! Abdul Baha says: Make as much effort as possible to learn the Farsi language, for this language will soon be sanctified on all of earth and it will have great use in spreading the Breath of God, elevating the Word of God, and deducing the meanings of God’s verses.
(Abdul Hamid Ishraq Khawari, Payam-i malakut, p. 114)

Bahaullah too, has uttered similar words:
God-willing, everyone will mention the Destination of the People of the World (probably referring to himself) by using the creative Farsi language, for this language has and will always be sweet.
(Abdul Hamid Ishraq Khawari, Payam-i malakut, p. 111)

A great emphasis has also been placed on learning Arabic:
The beloved Guardian has stressed that the children and the youth of the friends must also learn the Arabic language and use this eloquent language to benefit from the tablets and blessed writings.
(Abdul Hamid Ishraq Khawari, Ganjiniy-i Hudud wa ahkam, chap. 25, p. 206)

Not content with this, Bahais have been ordered to learn English and German:
The exalted decision of the beloved Guardian has been for the Bahai youth to learn firstly English and secondly German and show the utmost effort and seriousness [in learning these languages].
(Abdul Hamid Ishraq Khawari, Ganjiniy-i Hudud wa ahkam, chap. 25, p. 205-206)

And finally, Abdul Baha advises his followers to teach children foreign languages without specifying what or how many languages:
And further, as well as in the ideals of character, instruction in such arts and sciences as are of benefit, and in foreign tongues.

Thus an average Bahai is expected to learn or be able to communicate in six languages: Arabic, Farsi, English, German, their mother tongue, as well as the universal auxiliary language proposed by Bahaullah. Apparently, Bahaullah had forgotten too soon what he had uttered about people’s lives being wasted in learning more than one language:
We have decreed before that it has been destined to speak with two tongues and a great effort must be put to limit this to one [tongue] and the same [applies] to the handwriting. So that the lives of the people will not be wasted and nullified in learning different languages.
(Abdul Hamid Ishraq Khawari, Payam-i malakut, p. 33)

One day, while in Constantinople, Kamal Pasha visited this Wronged One. Our conversation turned upon topics profitable unto man. He said that he had learned several languages. In reply We observed: "You have wasted your life. It beseemeth you and the other officials of the Government to convene a gathering and choose one of the divers languages, and likewise one of the existing scripts, or else to create a new language and a new script to be taught children in schools throughout the world. They would, in this way, be acquiring only two languages, one their own native tongue, the other the language . . . and the people would be relieved and freed from the necessity of acquiring and teaching different languages."
(Baha’u’llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 137-138)

Is Bahaullah really serious when he claims the people would "be acquiring only two languages" while he reveals his writings in two different ones and his followers are expected to communicate in six languages? We will leave it to the readers to judge these words for themselves.

4- The Bahai Administration Has Failed in Implementing This Principle
Bahaullah has said: Ere this, in Our Epistles, have We commanded the Trustees of the House of Justice, either to choose one of the existing tongues, or to originate a new one, and in like manner to adopt a common script, teaching these to the children in all the schools of the world, that the world may become even as one land and one home.
(J. E. Esslemont, Baha’u’llah and the New Era, p.163)

Although Bahais propagate this principle with great pride and regard it as one of their greatest teachings in achieving oneness of humanity, the Bahai administration has failed after more than 150 years, in implementing Bahaullah’s direct order in implementing this principle or even selecting or creating a single language to serve this purpose!

Abdul Baha too had put great emphasis on the implementation of this principle:
Were we in possession of a universal language, the Western books could easily be translated into that language, and the Eastern peoples be informed of their contents. In the same way the books of the East could be translated into that language for the benefit of the people in the West. The greatest means of progress towards the union of East and West will be a common language. It will make the whole world one home and become the strongest impulse for human advancement. It will upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity. It will make the earth one universal commonwealth. It will be the cause of love between the children of men. It will cause good fellowship between the various races.
(J. E. Esslemont, Baha’u’llah and the New Era, p.164-165)

Instead of starting a campaign for a universal auxiliary language and translating Bahai works into a single universal language, Bahais have started a campaign of translating their literature into every possible language in the world and according to official Bahai figures, Bahai literature has been translated into 800 different languages worldwide!
(See http://news.bahai.org/media-information/statistics (retrieved 25/01/2014))

In a letter from the Universal House of Justice (UHJ) to an individual dated 8 June 1980, the UHJ simply puts the blame on governments for not implementing this language:
You are quite correct in stating that there are two different provisions in the Sacred Texts for the selection of an International Auxiliary Language. On the one hand, this task is given to the governments of the world, on the other it is given to the House of Justice. It is not possible now to see how this will come about, but it would seem reasonable to assume that, long before the Bahai community is large enough or can exercise the authority to produce such a world-embracing change, events will compel the governments, either progressively or all in concert, to select an International Auxiliary Language to be taught as a second language in all schools and to be used in all international commerce. At a much later stage, possibly at the time of the Bahai World Commonwealth, the Universal House of Justice may well decide to review the situation and either confirm the decision that the governments had made, or change the choice to a more suitable language.
(Paul Desailly, Making World Peace Real: The Baha'i Faith and Esperanto (Melbourne: Howard Perkins, 2003), p. 40 (electronic version))

Why does a person who claims to be a manifestation of God with Divine Knowledge fail to point the Bahai administration to an appropriate and specific language to be used for this task? Why is the UHJ waiting all these years to see which language will be universally accepted as a universal language? If these figures were Divinely Inspired and had superhuman knowledge, then why did they not tell the world about the auxiliary language of the future and why did they not propagate that specific language? Is it not because neither Abdul Baha nor Bahaullah could foresee the future, and the UHJ fears that any language they select for this purpose will result in a failure, like what happened when Abdul Baha selected Esperanto to serve this purpose?

• Universal Auxillary Language
• Did The Founders Follow This Principle - Part I
• Did The Founders Follow This Principle - Part II
• Did The Founders Follow This Principle - Part III
• Is This Principle Logical?
• Universal Auxillary Language: Conclusion

The articles have been based on the book "Avaze Dohol" - the Beating of the Drum by Masoud Basiti, Zahra Moradi.