Talk:Baháʼí Faith in Azerbaijan

a small ref to include

• "Baha'i Family Denied Burial Permit in Makou". HRANA. Human Rights Activists News Agency. 04 June 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Smkolins (talk) 14:07, 11 June 2010 (UTC)

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Musa Nagiyev was a Muslim

Hello Tarikhejtemai,
Here are some proofs for your reference:
1) Actively involved in the work of the Baku Muslim Charitable Society, Musa Nagiyev was a philanthropist during his lifetime.
2) This book is written by DILARƏ AĞAMUSA NAĞIYEVA, grand-daughter of Musa Nagiyev, on page 58, states : "Aga Musa Nagiyev decided to build an unusual palace in the center of the city - on Nikolayevsky Street (now Istiglaliyat) to commemorate his son Ismayil. To this end, he sent the famous Polish architect Josef Plosko to Venice, Italy in 1905 to get acquainted with the architectural details of the analogue of the building he was building, a process that lasted three years. Thus, the sketches of the Palazzo Cantarini Palace motivate him to start the construction of the Ismailia Palace in Baku. The building was completed in 5 years (1908-1913) and was fully commissioned on April 7, 1913. On the front of the building (now illuminators decorated with stars) are engraved the words of Imam Ali: "Man achieves what he wants by his labor and rises," "Man must sing from birth to death," "Muslims! The century you live in dies with you, prepare your children for the new century!"...
3) According to his grand-daughter's book, page 12, "Bunun nəticəsidir ki, milyonçu dünyasını dəyişdikdən sonra vəsiyyətinə rəğmən Kərbəla ona qismət ol-mur." which means "Although Agha Musa's will was to be buried next to Ismail oglu in Karbala, the totalitarian regime did not allow it."
4) There is this sentence in the same book "Ulu baban Ağa Musa da məscid tikdirib." which means "Grandfather Agha Musa also built a mosque".
5) Then you can find "Aga Musa would like to be buried next to his son, however Ismayil was luckier than his dad as his grave is in Kerbala where Naghiyev also wanted to be buried." "He buried 35 poor family members in Kerbela due to their desire." "In 1913 he constructed “Ismayiliyye” which was first “Muslim Charity Society”.
On the contrary, your source seems to be just claiming without any proofs. I am removing it now, if you have better sources add it again.Serv181920 (talk) 08:55, 25 December 2020 (UTC)

References

Hi Serv181920,

The main problem is that you removed content with citation, the source is clearly saying that he was a Baha'i. If you disagree with the statement you can add your sources to give a different point of view but you should not remove the statement. Also the sources listed above do not contradict his affiliation with the Baha'i faith. Many early Baha'is kept their ties with their previous religion; especially those from a Muslim background. Your conclusion here is original research. Tarikhejtemai (talk) 03:44, 26 December 2020 (UTC)

Hi Tarikhejtemai,

Removing content with poor cources is in line with wiki-policies. Check this WP:PUS - it says "Wikipedia's requirement for writing articles is "verifiability, not truth." We rely on what is written in external sources to write this encyclopedia, yet not all sources are equal."

Musa Nagiyev being a Baha'i has only one original source - Azer Jafarov's book published by the NSA of the Bahá'ís of Azerbaijan. In his entire book here - https://www.azerbaycan-bahai-kitabxana.org/copy-of-b-haullah-bu-guenuen-ilahi--1 - Jafarov only brings 2-3 sentences regarding him. Don't you think A billionaire and such an important personality who converted to the Baha'i Faith deserves more than 2-3 sentences! All other sources including an article on bahai-library and the news-article that you are citing take their information from this "potentially unreliable source". If you can produce anything better than this, please go ahead and add it again.Serv181920 (talk) 07:04, 26 December 2020 (UTC)

None of those sources say he was a Muslim. A similar problem came up with Queen Marie of Romania because a future descendant published a book and said she was Christian. In that case the source actually said Christian, but there were numerous letters from Marie indicating her beliefs. In this case his grand-daughter said gave to Muslim charities and helped build a mosque (which Baha'is are encouraged to do). I think you got nothing here. Cuñado ☼ - Talk 07:18, 26 December 2020 (UTC)

Hi Cuñado, How are you? Happy Christmas.

That's acceptable for Queen of Romania because of so many supporting documents. But where are other sources that claim that Nagiyev was a Baha'i? Only one Baha'i source claiming so, does not make him a Baha'i! A person can be either a Baha'i or a Muslim.

Apart from giving charities to Muslim charities he also wished to get himself buried in Kerbala (a Muslim holy site), you ignored that!! He did not "helped" building a mosque, he himself built it with his own money. In 1913 he constructed “Ismayiliyye” which was first “Muslim Charity Society”. What has he done for the Baha'is. Besides those 2-3 sentences, if you have anything to produce, please do so. This is a bad edit and it should be removed immediately. Happy vacations.Serv181920 (talk) 07:53, 26 December 2020 (UTC)

"Articles may not contain any new analysis or synthesis of published material that serves to reach or imply a conclusion not clearly stated by the sources themselves." Cuñado ☼ - Talk 18:04, 26 December 2020 (UTC)

Check WP:QUESTIONABLEServ181920 (talk) 08:13, 27 December 2020 (UTC)

Serv181920, I think the other two editors are right in this case. There is an independent secondary source stating he was a Baha'i. The secondary source in turn cites a primary source that wouldn't be reliable on its own, but as per WP:PSTS we can trust it because it's been interpreted by a secondary source (in this case, the secondary source cited it without any criticism). In fact a lot of the job of a historian is to sift through various primary sources, consider arguments about which ones should be trusted, and then synthesize them. Perhaps in reality you are correct and the source is wrong, but we need to wait for another secondary source to come along and make the argument you made, otherwise it's OR. Gazelle55 (talk) 14:59, 30 December 2020 (UTC)

I did tag the second half of the sentence, which just cites the NSA, as needing a better source. Gazelle55 (talk) 15:00, 30 December 2020 (UTC)

Gazelle55, I believe the source is not WP:RS, it is a Baha'i published source. In order to forward such a big claim, i think there should be neutral sources to support it. I would like to request more editors (not related to the Baha'i Faith) to give their opinion on this. I will do that tomorrow.Serv181920 (talk) 17:23, 31 December 2020 (UTC)

You mean Caucaz.com is a Baha'i source? Gazelle55 (talk) 18:43, 31 December 2020 (UTC)

Gazelle55, I meant the author Azer Jafarov. 1) His book is not a WP:RS because it is not published by any reliable publisher. National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Azerbaijan has published the book. 2) He is himself a Baha'i and he does not give any source for this claims. 3) The article on Caucaz.com is also written by Azer Jafarov referencing his own book and most-probably self-published on caucaz.com. The "Contact us" page on Caucaz.com clearly states that individuals can submit "synopsis" by sending it to them.

To summarize: A Baha'i writes a book (without any sources), the Baha'i administration publishes the book, same author writes an article for Caucaz.com, sourcing from his own book and sends it for publication, the Baha'i editors on wikipedia then adds it to wiki article.

Note : Azer Jafarov (the writer of both, the book and the article on Caucaz.com) does not have any academic record whatsoever.

I believe this edit should be immediately removed unless supported by reliable secondary, tertiary sources.Serv181920 (talk) 15:26, 1 January 2021 (UTC)

I've noticed that many of your arguments treat every Baha'i source as suspect of fraud. Baha'i publishers are still publishers, and given the requirement of review by National Spiritual Assemblies, they have an higher than average level of review. If the claim of Musa Nagiyev being Baha'i was contested by another source, then you would have an argument. But all you've done is string together your own series of ideas in a clear example of original research to provide the contest. Cuñado ☼ - Talk 17:08, 1 January 2021 (UTC)

Yes, I don't think you've showed any source to the contrary. I've seen a few sources noting how some Baha'is also had another religion in those days, so even if he was a Muslim, he could still have been a Baha'i. Also, see here for a source showing that Caucaz.com was a reliable source when it existed. We can assume there was some independent review at that stage. I don't think we should suspect Baha'i sources of fraud, though we should treat them with some caution. Relevant quotes from WP:RS:

"Reliable non-academic sources may also be used in articles about scholarly issues, particularly material from high-quality mainstream publications. Deciding which sources are appropriate depends on context."

"News reporting from well-established news outlets is generally considered to be reliable for statements of fact (though even the most reputable reporting sometimes contains errors). News reporting from less-established outlets is generally considered less reliable for statements of fact."

I think there was a guideline somewhere about books saying that mainstream publishers were preferable, though I can't seem to find it right now. Gazelle55 (talk) 19:25, 1 January 2021 (UTC)

Copying this comment from WP:RSN, I posted this on 8 January 2021.

"Thank you for your comment. I am surprised because the source is only Azer Jafarov - others sources (such as Caucaz.com) are taking from him without any investigation! Don't know what motivates them to take from a person who works in at a Baha'i office and his book is published by the NSA and he does not provide a single source for his claims! If a person like Nagiyev (billionaire) had ever accepted the Baha'i faith, it would have been reported far and wide in the Baha'i sources themselves. I did not find any mention about him in the Baha'i news, Star of the West or the Baha'i World."Serv181920 (talk) 09:17, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

Sources about Musa Nagiyev

Here is a summary of sources about Musa Nagiyev. Google translate used for Azeri language sources.

1. Baha'i Religion - book by Azer Jafarov (2005): "Millionaire Musa Nagiyev (1849-1919) and Mirza Abdulkhalig Yusif, a teacher of the national poet Aliaga Vahid, known as a "master poet" among the Caucasian Turks, were also members of the Baku community. Musa Nagiyev also served as a member of the Baku Spiritual Assembly for many years. The millionaire's personal reputation played a special role in preventing open pressure on the Baha'is."
2. The Baha’is of the Caucasus - published by weekly magazine Caucaz.com (21 February 2007). Caucaz had an editorial staff and editorial policy. The magazine had a "contact us page that could be used to send synopsis of proposed articles, just like any publisher with peer review. It was not a self-publishing site. "the major millionaire and oil magnate, patron of the arts and philanthropist Musa Naghiyev (1849-1919), was part of the Baha’i faith community. A member of the Spiritual Council of Baku, he helped the community confront external attacks."
3. 19. The Baha'is of the Caucasus - chapter written by Azer Jafarov and Bayram Balcı. Published in BALCI, Bayram (ed.); MOTIKA, Raoul (ed.). Religion and Politics in the Post-Soviet Caucasus (2007). Published by French Institute for Anatolian Studies, İstanbul. "Finally, the great millionaire and oil magnate, patron and philanthropist, Musa Naghiyev (1849-1919), was part of the Baha'i community. Member of the Spiritual Council of Baku, he was able to help the community to better cope with external aggressions."
4. BAHAISM IN AZERBAIJAN - Article in The Caucasus and Globalization, Vol 1 (5), 2007. By Leyla Melikova, Junior research fellow at the Academician Buniyatov Institute of Oriental Studies, National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan (Baku, Azerbaijan). "Musa Nagiev (1849-1919), a rich oil industrialist and patron of arts, was a member of the Spiritual Meeting of Baku. His personal authority raised the Bahai community prestige as well. (See: A. Jafarov, Bahai Faith in Azerbaijan, Baku, 2004, p. 21)"
5. Interview with Ramazan Asgarli (07 November 2016): "It is said that Baha'i symbols are reflected in the Ismailiyya building. Both Musa Nagiyev and his wife, who built the building, were Baha'is. Musa Nagiyev was also a member of the Baha'i Council."

As you can see, Caucaz was not a self-publishing site, and there are two other independent sources repeating the claim that Musa Nagiyev was a Baha'i. Cuñado ☼ - Talk 21:12, 18 January 2021 (UTC)

As a side information, Azer Javarov is a faculty of Baku State University, please his profile here. Tarikhejtemai (talk) 21:23, 18 January 2021 (UTC)

1. The first source at Baha'i Kitabkhana (Baha'i Book House), is a book written by the employee of the Baha'i Office, Azer Jafarov, and published by the Baha'i administration, it has no source for the claimed statement.
2. The second source is an article published by Caucaz.com and written by same Azer Jaforov, for the claim he cites his own book! The linked editorial policy of caucaz.com does not say anywhere that the editors review the submitted synopses.
3. The third source is again by Azer Jafarov, the same employee of the Baha'i office. Again he cites no sources!
4. The fourth source again cites the same Baha'i book authored by the same Azer Jafarov.
5. The fifth source is also a claim by Azer Jafarov, same Baha'i person with no further sources.

All these sources take this claim from one individual, Azer Jafarov, who is an employee of the Baha'i office and who provides no source for his clam and who has no academic record whatsoever. And there is no evidence of this claim from any published sources (Baha'i or non-Baha'i) of that era! Musa Nagiyev is reported to be a Baha'i after some 100 years of his passing!! That seems very strange to me.Serv181920 (talk) 07:55, 19 January 2021 (UTC)

Tarikhejtemai, noted, Thanks. The link says that "in 1997 year – was given sertificate of lecturer"!!Serv181920 (talk) 08:06, 19 January 2021 (UTC)

There are a handful of reliable sources who found no problem with using Jafarov as a source. Your conspiracy theory is suggesting without evidence that the claim is fraudulent and that your unconvincing argument should determine what goes on Wikipedia. There is no reliable source disputing that Musa Negiyev was a Baha'i. Cuñado ☼ - Talk 08:24, 19 January 2021 (UTC)

"Handful of reliable sources" - how many?, "Conspiracy Theory" - A millionaire accepts the Baha'i faith and does nothing for it, instead he donates an entire building for Muslim charity, builds a Mosque, buries his son in an Islamic holy city, makes a will to bury him in Islamic holy city, inscribes a quote of Ali (the fourth Muslim caliph) on one of his building, and he is reported as a Baha'i on wikipedia because a "handful of reliable sources" takes the claim from one Baha'i guy, who is an employee at a Baha'i office and publishes a book without citing any sources!!

No Baha'i source of that time has published anything about his conversion!

And you call my argument an "unconvincing argument"? That's great! May be unconvincing according to Wikipedia policies, I don't know.Serv181920 (talk) 17:35, 19 January 2021 (UTC)

One more piece of information: in addition to the sources mentioned above, even anti-Baha'i polemic works published in Iran say that he was a Baha'i (e.g. see here, here and here). Tarikhejtemai (talk) 04:31, 23 January 2021 (UTC)

Can you translate one or two of them? I tried to translate the Shiastudies link through google translate, it says: "One hundred and nineteen did not go and did not send anything to Acre, and no matter what the elders of this tribe advised him, it did not work, his account was that "the truth should not need the people" and for this reason the leaders were not happy with him and although 'Abdu'l-Baha‌ said We want Mr. Musa himself, not his wealth, but after his death, he felt sorry for him (who, despite all this, did not give anything in the way of God."Serv181920 (talk) 09:34, 23 January 2021 (UTC)

This one says: "In Baku, we visited some Baha'i friends including Musa Nagiyev; we visited him with Ali Akbar Nakhjavani. He was ill and in his bed, Mr. Nakhjavani told him that these gentlemen are going on a pilgrimage [to see Abdul-Baha], let them take his blessed hem and ask for [your] healing. Nagiyev cried in such a way that we were all saddened; later on I heard the news of his passing in Batum. Together with Gholam Ali Khan we went to Batumi and from there we proceeded to Istanbul." Tarikhejtemai (talk) 23:18, 23 January 2021 (UTC)

Thanks, not sure if this source is acceptable.Serv181920 (talk) 08:49, 24 January 2021 (UTC)

More on Musa Nagiyev

Hello, I see that Serv181920 wants to proceed to an RfC on this. That's fine, though if wanted I can offer my comments first. Either way, since it looks like a whole bunch of new sources came to light, it might be helpful to summarize which reliable sources say he was a Baha'i and which say he was a Muslim, and which ones give other relevant information. Gazelle55 (talk) 17:40, 1 February 2021 (UTC)

See below. Cuñado ☼ - Talk 19:59, 1 February 2021 (UTC)

Sources stating that he was a Baha'i

1. "Millionaire Musa Nagiyev (1849-1919) and Mirza Abdulkhalig Yusif, a teacher of the national poet Aliaga Vahid, known as a "master poet" among the Caucasian Turks, were also members of the Baku community. Musa Nagiyev also served as a member of the Baku Spiritual Assembly for many years. The millionaire's personal reputation played a special role in preventing open pressure on the Baha'is." Baha'i Religion - book by Azer Jafarov (2005).
2. "It is said that Baha'i symbols are reflected in the Ismailiyya building. Both Musa Nagiyev and his wife, who built the building, were Baha'is. Musa Nagiyev was also a member of the Baha'i Council." Interview with Ramazan Asgarli (07 November 2016), Baha'i who works with Azer Jafarov.
3. "the major millionaire and oil magnate, patron of the arts and philanthropist Musa Naghiyev (1849-1919), was part of the Baha’i faith community. A member of the Spiritual Council of Baku, he helped the community confront external attacks." The Baha’is of the Caucasus - co-written by Bayram Balci and Azer Jafarov, published by Caucaz Europe News (21 February 2007). Caucaz had an editorial staff and editorial policy.
4. "Finally, the great millionaire and oil magnate, patron and philanthropist, Musa Naghiyev (1849-1919), was part of the Baha'i community. Member of the Spiritual Council of Baku, he was able to help the community to better cope with external aggressions." 19. The Baha'is of the Caucasus - chapter written by Azer Jafarov and Bayram Balcı. Published in BALCI, Bayram (ed.); MOTIKA, Raoul (ed.). Religion and Politics in the Post-Soviet Caucasus (2007). Published by French Institute for Anatolian Studies, İstanbul.
5. "Musa Nagiev (1849-1919), a rich oil industrialist and patron of arts, was a member of the Spiritual Meeting of Baku. His personal authority raised the Bahai community prestige as well. (See: A. Jafarov, Bahai Faith in Azerbaijan, Baku, 2004, p. 21)" BAHAISM IN AZERBAIJAN - Article in The Caucasus and Globalization, Vol 1 (5), 2007. By Leyla Melikova, Junior research fellow at the Academician Buniyatov Institute of Oriental Studies, National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan (Baku, Azerbaijan).
6. "There is Musa Naghiyev's Ismailiyya Palace... the oil baron, humanist and supporter of the Bahai Naghiyev in memory of his only son, Ismail dem, who died early Islamic charity bequeathed." Die Kahans aus Baku: Eine Familienbiographie - By German historian Verena Dohrn.
7. "After his death the clergy, on the basis of Shari'ah law, demanded that his heirs hand over 10 per cent of his inheritance to mosques. In response, concerned about these claims, the heirs provided the "holy fathers" with evidence that Aga Musa was not a Muslim and belonged to the Bahai faith. They cited an example, saying that Nagiyev once refused to swear on the Koran in a court and took his oath on the book of Sheikh Bahaulla."Region Plus - an Azeri magazine. Author: Malak VALIZADA.
8. "After the death of Musa Nagiyev, the clergy, relying on Sharia law, demanded that the heirs transfer one tenth of his property to the mosques. Concerned about the claims of the clergy, the heirs presented evidence that the Aga Musa was not a Muslim, but belonged to the "Bahá'í" religious movement, and as an example, the case was cited when one day at the trial Nagiyev, refusing to swear on the Koran, took the oath on the book of Sheikh Bahá'u'lláh" Azer History - Based on materials from Georgy Zapletin, “Caspian”.
9. "M.Nagiyev (Musa Naghiyev (1849-1919) was an Azerbaijani industrial oil magnate in late 19th - early 20th century... He was also an adherent of the Bahá'í Faith and served on the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Baku." MIRAS - Azerbaijani site to promote cultural education.
10. "[Baku]’s prosperity was based on its petroleum, and there were many oil millionaires there, including one, a Bahá’í, who owned the most productive wells and was worth a hundred million dollars. Among some of the friends, he had a reputation for being ‘not very helpful’, which may have meant that he seemed inactive. Yet later, he is said to have rendered a very important service to the Faith, supplying funds for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s teaching journeys to the West." Arches of the Years - by Marzieh Gail (1991).

Sources stating that he was a Muslim

1. "among the people that Taghiyev apparently invited to his home on May 16 were two other well-known Muslim millionaires—63-year-old Agha Musa Naghiyev and 54-year-old Murtuza Mukhtarov." The Taghiyev-Behbudov Affair - Article by Robert Denis (March 2020), based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
2. "... supported by the Muslim oil entrepreneurs who were active within the Baku City Duma, individuals as Musa Naghiev, Haji Zeinalabedin Taghiev, and Khalygh Akhundov"; and, "Musa Naghiev, one of the leading Muslim entrepreneurs and civic-minded philanthropists, contributed funds for the founding of a surgical hospital..." On the Religious Frontier: Tsarist Russia and Islam in the Caucasus - by Firouzeh Mostashari (2006).
3. Новая имперская история постсоветского пространства, Page 328 says "Haji Zeynal Abdin Tagiyev, Shamsi Assadullaev and Musa Nagiyev made very large fortunes on the oil boom that gripped a small group of Muslim entrepreneurs."

Proposed wording

1. "Musa Naghiyev (1849-1919), one of Azerbaijan's richest citizens at the time, was raised Muslim and donated to Islamic charities, but participated as a member of the Baha'i Spiritual Assembly of Baku and is considered to have been a Baha'i by some modern sources."

Comments

I think the balance of sources, the way they're worded and the difference in depth, support mentioning him as a Baha'i in wikivoice. That's how it is presented in several reliable sources, and the mention of him as a Muslim appear to be assumptions made while remarking on him in passing. As a reasonable compromise, and to get this over with, I think the proposed wording of "participated" and "considered to have been" are appropriate here and pretty non-committal. Cuñado ☼ - Talk 19:59, 1 February 2021 (UTC)

Thanks for compiling, I agree with what you wrote but would suggest we also add a note to include a bit more detail without breaking the flow of the text. It could look something like: "Several sources state that Jafarov was a Baha'i (citations), while some others state he was a Muslim (citations)."

It is possible as Serv181920 said that his heirs merely said he was Baha'i to escape the inheritance tax, but without a source making that connection I believe we are in violation of WP:OR: "Policy: Wikipedia articles usually rely on material from reliable secondary sources. Articles may make an analytic, evaluative, interpretive, or synthetic claim only if that has been published by a reliable secondary source." Gazelle55 (talk) 23:31, 1 February 2021 (UTC)

That's interesting because I saw it the opposite way. If Naghiyev was privately a Baha'i, society would assume he were Muslim by default and the mosques would be after his money. His family providing evidence in court that he was a Baha'i seemed like proof that he really was a Baha'i. Anyway you're right we should avoid synthesis. For example, the Baha'i sources say he participated in the local spiritual assembly of Baku, and I assume there are paper records of minutes that go back to that period that mention his participation, as there are in other cities. But Jafarov didn't say where he got the information. Cuñado ☼ - Talk 00:37, 2 February 2021 (UTC)

Observation on Cuñado's "Sources stating that Nagiyev was a Baha'i"

First 5 sources takes the claim from one Baha'i, Azer Jafarov. He is an employee of the Baha'i office in Baku and his book is published by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Azerbaijan. This work is not independent of the subject. Moreover, Azer Jafarov does not cites any sources, he just claims it.

Sixth source says that he was a "supporter of the Bahai" - Supporter of the Baha'i and being a Baha'i himself are two different things.

Seventh and Eighth sources state that the heirs of Nagiyev stated that he was a Baha'i because they were "Concerned / disturbed about the claims of the clergy" who claimed that 10% of his inheritance should be given to the Mosque.

Regarding this point there are other sources that say:

1. http://www.anl.az/el_ru/b/b_kd.pdf (published by the Institute for Strategic Studies of the Caucasus), page 31, "Soon, grandfather's second wife, a Russian woman, converted, she filed a lawsuit in court, claiming her right to grandfathers (Nagiyevs) property. Things got really bad. Everything is so confused and degraded. It turned out that it was difficult to understand anything. Relatives fought among themselves, not being able to find some acceptable decision."
2. Another article ( https://azerhistory.com/?p=10490 ) states that "Concerned about the claims of the clergy, the heirs presented evidence that Aga Musa was not a Muslim, but belonged to the "Baháí" religious movement." The same article says "He bequeathed to bury him in the sacred city of Kerbala." - Why would a Baha'i ever wish to get himself buried in Muslim holy city, Kerbala?
3. Another source ( https://books.google.com/books?id=bvNI-xkYup0C&pg=PA323 ) states that "Haji Zeynal Abdin Tagiyev, Shamsi Assadullaev and Musa Nagiyev made very large fortunes on the oil boom that gripped a small group of Muslim entrepreneurs."
4. http://www.anl.az/el_ru/b/b_kd.pdf page 121, "According to Muslim custom, the deceased (Naghiyev) is washed in and then the body was placed in the center of the room. Over (his body) the priests begin to read the Koran."

The Ninth source claiming that "He was also an adherent of the Bahá'í Faith and served on the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Baku." is by one Gulshan Huseynova. Not sure what is her source and what weight it carries.

The Tenth source is also a Baha'i source, but it is interesting. It says that "he had a reputation for being 'not very helpful', which may have meant that he seemed inactive." And providing funds for "Abdul Baha's teaching journeys" does not makes him a Baha'i. In those days Abdul Baha presented "the Baha’i religion as a tarikat [‛way’, ‛path’ or ‛religious order’] within Islam, and not as a new religion. Throughout their stay in Ottoman domains – until the death of 'Abdu’l-Baha in 1921 – the Baha’is presented themselves to outsiders in the Middle East as followers of Islam." https://bahai-library.com/alkan_young_turks_palestine (Page 264)

Nagiyev may have associated with the Baha'is for some reason but claiming that "he was the most publicly recognized member of the community" is absolutely not correct.

Nagiyev was given a Muslim burial (according to Benin - see http://www.anl.az/el_ru/b/b_kd.pdf page 121) and he willed that he be buried in the sacred city of Karbala. (ibid)Serv181920 (talk) 09:32, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

Thanks Serv181920 for the detailed response. Firstly, I agree with removing the phrase about "most publicly recognized member of the community." For the replacement, I suggest amending what Cuñado wrote above to the following to include all the main facts (though I admit not every single fact):

"Musa Naghiyev (1849–1919), one of Azerbaijan's richest citizens at the time, is considered to have been a Baha'i by some modern sources,[cite #3,4,9 from above] while others state that he was a Muslim.[cite the three Cuñado listed] He donated to Islamic charities,[cite your #1 and 5 from the very first talk page post on this topic] and received an Islamic burial,[cite your #4 from this post] but he participated as a member of the Baha'i Spiritual Assembly of Baku.[cite #3,4,5,9]"

Why I only selected #3, #4, and #9... I think we should leave out #1, #2, and #10 in Cuñado's list above because they may not be sufficiently independent and reliable and we have several better sources available. #7 and #8 state what his heirs said without any opinion from the sources about what was actually the case. #5 and #6 do not say that he was a Baha'i explicitly.

Regarding your four sources, Serv181920, I have included #4, and #3 was on Cuñado's list of sources saying Naghiyev was a Muslim. #1 and #2, like Cuñado's #5-8, do not directly state what religion he belonged to. I will mention this quote from WP:OR again: "Articles may make an analytic, evaluative, interpretive, or synthetic claim only if that has been published by a reliable secondary source." We would need a source saying, "It is unlikely Naghiyev was Baha'i given he asked to buried in Karbala" to make that argument. If you think that point is important to include, I would be fine with a note after the point about the Islamic burial saying he asked to be buried in the Shi'a holy city of Karbala, and leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions.

Last thing – you were critical of sources #3-5 because they come from Azer Jafarov, who works for the Azerbaijani Baha'i community. I accept this argument for #1-2, but #3-5 all have independent non-Baha'i review processes. You have mentioned above that Caucaz.com accepts synopses, but this doesn't mean they will just publish those synopses. I know people who have worked with publishers and a synopsis is a short version to be reviewed by the publisher so they can decide whether to see the full thing, which will then be edited and finally published. Cuñado has linked to their editorial policy.

Anyway, let me know what you think of my suggested wording above so we can move forward with this. Gazelle55 (talk) 19:04, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

Looks good to me. Cuñado ☼ - Talk 20:01, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

Thank you for your time Gazelle55. Please go ahead. Please also include about his will of getting buried in Karbala.Serv181920 (talk) 06:33, 5 February 2021 (UTC)

Perfect, I'm a bit busy at the moment but will do it within a few days. Gazelle55 (talk) 21:26, 5 February 2021 (UTC)

Serv181920 and Cuñado, update: I added the sentences from above to the article (including the note about Karbala). But, I wasn't able to add the sources in Russian and Azerbaijani... I looked at them but I'm worried I will make an error about which parts are author vs publisher vs location, etc. So at this point the statements about receiving an Islamic burial and wanting to be buried in Karbala don't have sources, and there are two rather than three saying he was a Muslim. If you have English or French sources let me know and I'd be happy to add them, or if you feel confident adding the others go ahead. Gazelle55 (talk) 16:37, 10 February 2021 (UTC)

Thank you Gazelle55, Here is a source in English https://www.finansist.az/upload-files/Jurnal_15-tower.pdf Serv181920 (talk) 17:17, 10 February 2021 (UTC)

Thanks, Serv181920, I added it! Gazelle55 (talk) 16:17, 13 February 2021 (UTC)

Thank you Gazelle55