The Jakarta Post:
The Religious Affairs Ministry has added the Baha’i faith to the list of official Indonesian religions, which already comprises Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism.
However, to say Baha’i is a new world religion is, somehow, historically indelicate, as in the early 19th century, Persia (now Iran) had witnessed the birth of this youngest form of Abrahamic religion. The predecessor of this religion was founded in 1844 by Sayyed ‘Ali Mohammad Shirazi, a charismatic young merchant from Shiraz, and affirmed Baha’ullah as its prophet (Momen, 2002).
The followers of Baha’i hold Al-Aqdas as their holy book, which has been translated into hundreds of languages. The word Baha’i itself means “the splendor”, meanwhile Baha’ullah means the “splendor of God”.
As a prophetic messiah, Baha’ullah proclaimed his mission to leaders of Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, including Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity and Protestantism, and Islam (Sunni and Shia). Historically, Baha’ullah messages were addressed to the crowned heads of Europe, in public proclamations to Queen Victoria, Napoleon III, Pope Pius IX and other world leaders during the Adrianople in 1864–1868 and Akka periods in 1868–1892 (Buck, 2004: 157). When Baha’ullah died on May 18, 1892, his undertaking was continued by his eldest son Abdu’l-Bahá .
MORE
Baha’ism is a monotheistic religion, BUT[!!!] its leader claims he is God and creator of multiple Gods:
“There is no God but me the lonely, the imprisoned” (Bahā’u’llāh, Āthār-i Qalam-i A`lā, vol. 1, no. 39, p. 226.)
“All Gods became Gods from the flow of my affairs and all Lords became Lords by the overflowing of my decree (`Abdu’l-Bahā, Makātīb, vol. 2, p. 255 (citing Baha’u’llah))
Its leader claims equality between men and women but believes women are stronger and more important than men:
“‘Abdu’l-Bahā smiled and asked: “What will you say if I prove to you that the woman is the stronger wing?” The answer came in the same bright vein: “You will earn my eternal gratitude!” at which all the company made merry. ‘Abdu’l-Bahā then continued more seriously: “The woman is indeed of the greater importance to the race. She has the greater burden and the greater work. Look at the vegetable and the animal worlds. The palm which carries the fruit is the tree most prized by the date grower. The Arab knows that for a long journey the mare has the longest wind. For her greater strength and fierceness, the lioness is more feared by the hunter than the lion” (`Abdu’l-Bahā, `Abdu’l-Bahā in London, pp. 102–103)
It’s leader claims the Conformance of Science with religion but he believes all planets are inhabited by countless aliens and his son Abdu’l-Baha believes stars too are inhabited by Aliens:
“Know thou that every fixed star hath its own planets, and every planet its own creatures, whose number no man can compute” (Bahā’u’llāh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahā’u’llāh, p. 163)
“All celestial stars have special creatures. When this planet earth that is comparably infinitely small is not empty and in vain, then these great bright shining [heavenly] bodies are a different matter altogether (meaning they definitely possess life).” (`Abdu’l-Bahā, Muntakhabātī az makātīb Ḥaḍrat `Abdu’l-Bahā, vol. 6, no. 480)
To understand the numerous contradictions in this creed read the following book:
“Twelve Principles: A Comprehensive Investigation on the Baha’i Teachings”
http://www.avazedohol.com/eng/index.php/download
Best place to get information is http://www.bahai.org Read for yourself and investigate with your own eyes, intellect and heart, not through the eyes of others.
Oh dear, again we see how trolls often are amongst the first to post vile spite on articles that brighten the world!
I think we can learn a lot from a blogger who calls themself “Terminator”!!!
Best to ignore this persons ramblings and inventions.
Terminator, such nonsense! For the truth, go to http://www.bahai.org.
Yes yes please refer to http://www.bahai.org. That is where you can find the aforementioned quotes in their original language:
Baha’u’llah claiming to be God:
بهاءالله: لا اله الا انا المسجون الفرید (آثار قلم اعلی، ج 1، لوح 39)
http://reference.bahai.org/fa/t/b/
http://reference.bahai.org/download/q1-fa-pdf.zip
بهاءالله:
کل الالوه من رشح امری تالهت، و کل الربوب من طفح حکمی تَربَّت (مکاتیب، ج2، ص. 255)
http://reference.bahai.org/fa/t/ab/
http://reference.bahai.org/download/ma2-fa-pdf.zip
Aliens on all planets:
:بهاءالله
و لکلّ ثوابت سيّارات و لکلّ سيّارة خلق عجز عن احصائه المحصون (منتخباتی از آثار حضرت بهاءالله. عدد 82، ص 109)
http://reference.bahai.org/fa/t/b/
http://reference.bahai.org/download/gwb-fa-pdf.zip
Since our dear friend mentioned bahai.org here is another quote directly from baha.org where Baha’u’llah states the deniers of Baha’ism are Bast***s:
من ینکر هذا الفضل الظاهر الباهر المتعالی المنیر ینبغی له بان یسئل عن امه حاله فسوف یرجع الی اسفل الجحیم
http://reference.bahai.org/fa/t/b/MAS4/mas4-355.html#pg355
Find lots more here:
http://www.avazedohol.com/eng/index.php/let-us-read-and-ponder
“Every fixed star hath its own planets and every planet its creatures whose numbers no man can compute..” -Baha’u’llah
a possible alternate translation:
“Every limited leader has his following-groupies and every group its adherents who come and go unaccounted.” (A flash in the pan which dies down and subsides.)
Baha’u’llah had been raised in an affluent and privileged home, and owned a substantial mind and an expressive capacity that included sharp-witted humour. You’d have to read the entire page and segment as it relates to surrounding text. When I first read this passage about fixed stars (none are fixed) I had a good hearty laugh because I saw the pun embedded in it. The concepts on the themes of unity of all mankind, which Baha’u’llah introduced and scribed volumes about, all His claims to date have been later proved true by science. Humans are biologically only one species and one race. Science has recently confirmed this as fact through human genome research.
The “all fixed stars” passage is, all in one, excellent, exceptional and deeply-lofty fun if you can read at that level, which I do. I can only long to write like this. Beauty IS.
A mirror only reflects that which its face is turned towards. A pen inks what the writer wants us to hear.
Prophets are not “God”, they are instruments to be used by higher forces to impart the messages we need to hear to better us all as a race.
The founder of the Bahai faith was not telling us he is God, merely being the pen, the conduit….
Anything taken out of context can be twisted to suit an individuals need.
The Baha’i Faith is completely monotheistic. Baha’u’llah, like all Messengers of God, spoke in the voice of God. He never claimed to be God. He claimed to be the absolute servant of God, and likened Himself to complete nothingness before God. There is only one God in the Baha’i teachings, which are completely compatible with the Qur’an and the Bible.
Terminator below seems to have taken his information from an anti-Baha’i source. If you want to know the truth about the Baha’i Faith, study the Baha’i teachings and talk to Baha’is. Anti-Baha’is bend and twist the truth, just as anti-Muslims twist the Qur’an and anti-Christians twist the Bible. Study the truth for yourself. The truth will set you free, as the Bible says.
Hi friends, Let’s make the world a better place to live on. In peace, harmony and unity. Stop hate, just love can give us All we need.
To Cheryl Cudmore,
Before trying to change the meaning of Baha’u’llah’s words about Aliens and labeling them as PUN, you should have referred to your own leaders words, Shoghi who believes these aliens exist too:
“Regarding the passage on p. 163 of the ‘Gleanings’: The creatures which Baha’u’llah states to be found on every planet cannot be considered to be necessarily similar or different from human beings on this earth. Baha’u’llah does not specifically state whether such creatures are like or unlike us. He simply refers to the fact that there are creatures on every planet. It remains for science to discover one day the exact nature of these creatures. (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, February 9, 1937)” (Helen Bassett Hornby, Lights of Guidance: A Bahā’ī Reference File, chap. XLI, no. 1581.)
There is no need for an alternate translation because I provided an official Baha’i translation.
To all the others who claim I am twisting words, I have provided clear sources from bahai.org and everyone can double check what I am stating.
Muslims have no need to argue with Baha’is. The Bahai faith is not Islam. They have said good bye to Islam. But still we Muslims need to know more about Bahaism from the Bahais and not from their enemies.
I have seen above, the following words:
بهاءالله: لا اله الا انا المسجون الفرید
It seems to be the words of prophet or messenger Bahaullah. It says “There is no God except I the imprisoned, the only One alone.”
(please correct the translation if it is wrong.)
How will the kind Bahai’s explain about that? May be something real good? When interpreting we must not go very far away from the actual words please.
Ghulam Sarwar,the following quote may help you understand how Bahá’u’lláh Himself prefaces His claims. It is in the same way that we understand Jesus’ claims of being the Great “I AM”.
“Were any of the all-embracing Manifestations of God to declare: “I am God,” He, verily, speaketh the truth, and no doubt attacheth thereto. For it hath been repeatedly demonstrated that through their Revelation, their attributes and names, the Revelation of God, His names and His attributes, are made manifest in the world.”
Those words are straight from the pen of Bahá’u’lláh, in Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh”. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/GWB/gwb-22.html
Make of it what you wish. Salam!
To MontagnaMagica,
What a compelling argument! Since Baha’u’llah says he can claim he is God, then we have to accept it from him and submit to his words! Why don’t you bring a sample from the Prophet of Islam claiming to be God?! You can’t because true Prophets never make such claims.
And by the way the forerunner to Baha’u’llah was another guy called Ali Muhhamad Bab who claimed he was the Mahdi of Islam. He too believed he was God and uttered the following words:
“Verily, `Alī before Nabīl (i.e. himself, the Bāb) is the Essence of God and His Being,” The Bāb, Lauḥ haykal al-dīn, p. 5.
The Arabic words:
ان علی قبل النبیل ذات الله و کینونیته
A scan of the aforementioned words can be found here on the fourth line:
http://www.bayanic.com/showPict.php?id=din&ref=5&err=0&curr=1
Note: ‘Nabil’ is the equivalent of ‘Muhammad’ in Abjad code. Thus ‘Ali before Nabil’ means ‘Ali Muhammad’ which is the Bab’s name.
Montagna, thank you for reply. But the reply cannot be understood properly without some explanation of your reply shown below:
“Were any of the all-embracing Manifestations of God to declare: “I am God,” He, verily, speaketh the truth, and no doubt attacheth thereto. For it hath been repeatedly demonstrated that through their Revelation, their attributes and names, the Revelation of God, His names and His attributes, are made manifest in the world.”
I find it hard to understand. As per Bible “Before Abraham I am” cannot normally be understood. It is an incomplete sentence (I am). It is meaningless. Before Abraham, I am could be I am before Abraham. It cannot mean before Abraham I am God. Why to give wrong meaning to I AM? (But I understand what Jesus a.s. meant by that and it was not wrong.)
It appears that in the words [“Were any of the all-embracing Manifestations of God to declare: “I am God,” He, verily, speaketh the truth….”] Bahaullah sahib is saying that all manifestations of God can claim to say “I am God” and they would be right, speaking the truth. That is not correct belief. It would mean Shirk (Polytheism) which is the worst sin on earth.
Just because Bahaullah sahib is a manifestation of God, he cannot say that he is God. The prophets of God are the best manifestations of God on earth. They never claimed that they were Gods.
It appears that Bahaullah sahib was a part of wahdat al wujood party who believe that all (creation i.e. makhlooq, cat and dog) is God. But they are well known to be heretics.
The reason is, makhlooq is makhlooq and is created by God. The created cannot be God.
please try again to explain the original words that There is no God except the one imprisoned… and also your latest comment about manifestations being Gods….
By the way, I can give a very good proof against the Wahdat al wujood beliefs, an easy proof, if any one is interested to know that.
Another question(s) arises. Did Bahaullah sahib claim that he was a prophet or messenger of God? Did he receive any revelation from God?? or was he himself sending revelations??? To Ali Muhammad Baab sahib?? and others?? Did he ever say in his writings that he was not God??? Such things could help us to understand Bahaullah sahib. Thanks.
Welcome.
Terminator does not seem a very positive, peaceful name. There are way too many terminators in the world. Now we need more positive people, we need respect, peace, love, unity. Those who can bring these and more spiritual qualities into society are the REAL heroes in todays world for it is very easy to criticize and bring disunity, everyone is doing that but to bring UNITY, that is the challenge! We Bahais want to be knows as builders of unity. At the end what we believe does not matter is what we can contribute to the world that matters.
Ghulam, I appreciate your thoughtful, inquisitive, and fair response. I will try to answer as best as I can, but I am a new convert to the Bahá’í Faith, and am still learning much myself!
When Jesus said I AM, that is a transliteration for Yahweh, and in effect, He was claiming the station of Godhood. It is because of this claim that most Christians (even myself before I converted), worship Jesus as God.
Bahá’u’lláh made similar claims too. I am not aware of whether or not The Báb said the same (few Bábí scriptures are translated to English).
I am in agreement with you that there is only one God. Anything else is heresy.
My understanding of the quote I offered is this. Bahá’u’lláh is saying that when a prophet claims Godhood, they are not mistaken. They are NOT literally God, but They speak with the authority of God on earth. As an example, They are like mirrors reflecting the sun. When you see the sun in the mirror, you can accurately say, “that is the sun”, yet there is still only one sun.
I hope that made as much sense as I thought it did when I wrote it… 😛
Did Bahá’u’lláh claim to be a messenger of God or God Himself? He does frequently refer to God as a separate entity from Himself. Monotheism is clearly asserted.
“He, in truth, hath, throughout eternity, been one in His Essence, one in His attributes, one in His works. Any and every comparison is applicable only to His creatures, and all conceptions of association are conceptions that belong solely to those that serve Him. Immeasurably exalted is His Essence above the descriptions of His creatures. He, alone, occupieth the Seat of transcendent majesty, of supreme and inaccessible glory. The birds of men’s hearts, however high they soar, can never hope to attain the heights of His unknowable Essence. It is He Who hath called into being the whole of creation, Who hath caused every created thing to spring forth at His behest.” -Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
Why the Bahá’í prophet chose to describe Himself in this way is beyond me. But then again, so are much of the revelations of Muhammad, and Biblical prophecies. We’re always on a learning curve.
The name Terminator means “terminator of falsehood”. What is wrong with that? It’s funny how the Baha’is are using this username as a scapegoat to divert attention from their leaders claims about being GOD.
I forgot to mention: not only did the Bab and Baha’u’llah claim to be God, but the Baha’i Qiblih is Baha’u’llah’s grave.
Do the Bahais need a qiblah? (I do not think they pray like Muslims). (I don’t really know much)
Dear Ghulam Sarwar,
Just a very quick explanation of the meaning of the above quotes. This is a paraphrasing for the sake of brevity. I recommend reading the Kitab-i-Iqan (you can find it here http://reference.bahai.org/en/) for a comprehensive explanation of these concepts and many others. It would be especially helpful for you as it is written in reply to questions from a Muslim about many of the aspects you mention.
The relation ship between God and His Manifestations (or Prophets) is like the relationship between the Sun and a Perfect Mirror reflecting that Sun. You could look at the Sun in the Mirror and say, “t=That is the Sun”. And you would be correct. You could look at the Sun in the Mirror and say “That is the reflection of the Sun”. Again you would be right.
This is the relationship. The Manifestation, Bahá’u’lláh – Muhammad – Christ, is a perfect Mirror reflecting the Sun of God. For us imperfect beings there is very little distinction because the Light is the Light of God and how can we distinguish the Mirror from the Sun when we are so far away? There are other quotes where Bahá’u’lláh talks about his relationship to God and it´s pretty clear for anyone who has studied the Bahá’í writings that Bahá’u’lláh does not refer to himself literally as God.
I hope that this is helpful.
Dear Jakob, Yes, it is helpful. And you said,” it´s pretty clear for anyone who has studied the Bahá’í writings that Bahá’u’lláh does not refer to himself literally as God.”
Then he must have referred himself to the rank of God Almighty in a symbolic or metaphorical way when he said, “There is no God except I alone, the one who is imprisoned.”
In his other writings presented by Montagana, It appeared that Baha sahib was allowing all creations of God as God. Why there should be such confused statements from a man of God?
You have pointed out a website that will be checked but in the presence of such enlightened persons as Montagna and Jakob, it is better to understand from them the meaning of things written by Baha sahib.
I had raised some important questions in earlier post. Answers to those questions should be provided by the enlightened Bahai’s. If they cannot give a reply then we may ask some one else. Questions are:
Did Bahaullah sahib claim that he was a prophet or messenger of God? Did he say he received any revelation from God?? or was he himself sending revelations??? To Ali Muhammad Baab sahib?? and others?? Did he ever say in his writings that he was not God???
The explanation given by Jakob about the mirror and the reflection in the mirror is well known. We also use it for the prophet Muhammad s.a.w.s. and his true followers. But we Muslims do not reflect God Almighty in the mirror. Wassalam.
Dear Terminator… actually since you say that you are a terminator of falsehoods I hope it is ok if I refer to you as Lover of truth instead. Not nearly as negative 🙂
Dear Lover of truth,
If you find the responses of my Bahá’í friends defensive I hope you can forgive them, as it is very easy to become so when you see people misrepresenting something you love. Something I am sure you can understand, being a Muslim and considering the misrepresentation of Islam in media today.
Thank you for your interesting comments. The questions you bring up are worthy of thought and exploration, even though it may be difficult to explore these questions to the degree they deserve in a comment section. The independent search for truth is one of the main principles of the Bahá’í faith and it is interesting for me to see you bring up some of the same questions I had when exploring the Bahá’í faith. I don´t think it would be possible for me to adequately reply to all your concerns here. I would refer you to my reply above and especially to the book I mentioned which really is better than anything I could ever say. But further I just wanted to share with you that even if you do not accept my explanation or even the clear explanations set forth in the Bahá’í writings clarifying these questions, that is ok. You are free to believe whatever you wish to believe and I will not think less of you, not that it matters what I think 🙂 The only thing I want to point out is that even though you have your own understanding, that understanding is a self-contained entity and has nothing to do with the beliefs of the Bahá’ís, which are laid out in clear and unmistakable terms in the manifold writings of the Bahá’í faith. Further to my reply above this may explain the concept of Manifestation much better than I can: http://info.bahai.org/bahaullah-manifestation-of-god.html
Quickly, concerning you comment about aliens. Recent scientific findings are showing the ever increasing likelihood of life on other planets, considering the amazing adaptive qualities of life in the most inhospitable regions. Mind you, these are referring to bacteria foremost. I can not say what Bahá’u’lláh meant by “Know thou that every fixed star hath its own planets, and every planet its own creatures, whose number no man can compute” but it seems to me that this quote is in line with scientific findings so far.
My warmest greetings – I hope you will have a happy and joyful day! 🙂
Jakob
Dear Jakob,
Baha’u’llah says there is no God but me the lonely the imprisoned. Allah is neither lonely nor imprisoned. Thus he is not speaking on behalf of God or reflecting God’s words as mirror. He is clearly speaking about himself (the lonely and imprisoned) God.
Dear Rafiq,
No they don’t pray like Muslims at all.
Terminator, you need to explain why you quote Baha’u’llah saying ““There is no God but me..
لا اله الا انا المسجون الفرید
While there is no “me/I” (anâ) in the original Arabic at http://reference.bahai.org/fa/t/b/Q1/q1-231.html (line 2). It is: انّه لا اله الّا ان المسجون الفريد
It is also as I quote in the PDF version you posted and in the Word document.
To Terminator aka Dawnbreaking. Baha’u’llah did not write : لا اله الا انا المسجون الفرید
What he actually wrote is:
انّه لا اله الّا ان المسجون الفريد
I presume you know the difference. There is no “me” or ana in this passage.
It is regrettable that you have such a low opinion of women that you would have any problem with Abdu’l-Baha’s comments. I’m not going to go into your comments about ‘aliens’ which is not found in any text. Creatures can mean number of things. A rock is a creation of God. I suspect there is life on other planets but my faith would hardly be shaken if I found there was none on Mercury. I don’t read scripture that literally and I think those that do are really rather foolish.
To Rafiq,
We do have a Qiblih and we do have salat or namaz, but we say them individually rather than in congregation.
To Ghulam,
Yes, Baha’u’llah most definitely did say in his writings that he was not God.
“Either thou or someone else hath said: “Let the Súrih of Tawhíd be translated, so that all may know and be fully persuaded that the one true God begetteth not, nor is He begotten. Moreover, the Bábís believe in his (Bahá’u’lláh’s) Divinity and Godhood.”
O Shaykh! This station is the station in which one dieth to himself and liveth in God. Divinity, whenever I mention it, indicateth My complete and absolute self-effacement. This is the station in which I have no control over mine own weal or woe nor over my life nor over my resurrection.”
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 41.
It’s worth clarifying that The Báb (that’s Alí Muhammad) is revered as a prophet founder of the independent religion, Bábí Faith. He prophesied of a successor referred to as “Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest”. Bahá’ís believe this to be Bahá’u’lláh (Founder of Bahá’í Faith).
Hopefully, that clarifies terms… 🙂
First question: Both Báb and Bahá’u’lláh claimed to be messengers, heralding the message of God.
Second question: Did He claim to receive messages from God, or reveal them Himself? I will get back to you on that next comment! I need to do research to be sure (I am on a mobile phone).
Your other questions, I hope, have been answered. Please let us know if not! Again, thank you for the open dialog!
I am back, and found the quote I was looking for!
You asked if Bahá’u’lláh received messages fro. God, or Himself sent them.
In the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf Bahá’u’lláh says, “I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-Knowing. And He bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven.”
It is a similar occurrence to when Muhammad first encountered the Angel Gabriel, when Jesus was baptized and the Dove appeared, or when Moses approached the Burning Bush.
Susan, Thanks for correcting and changing the Arabic word “anaa” into “Inna”. It is not so easy. That writing has been circulating in the world for 100 years. How can it be changed so late in time.
Your modification of that revelation from Baha sahib is in Arabic and you have made it meaningless. The word “Inna” does not fit in the sentence. It would mean “there is no God except the One who is imprisoned.” Even that meaning cannot be derived from the Arabic words without erasing the word “ana” or “Inna”. You have to remove the word “ana” or “Inna” to mean what you want to say and even that meaning will not suit you.
Thanks for telling that you have a Qiblah and a system of prayers (individual prayers). So we can assume that your Qiblah is the grave of Baha sahib as it was being reported. Could you please confirm or deny that?
Thanks to Susan for pointing out that Baha’u’llah wrote :
انّه لا اله الّا ان المسجون الفريد
The question remains, what does he mean by it? My suggestion is that the names of God such as “the Wise, the All-knowing” are those names that God has given us permission to use, because they are used in the scriptures. Therefore God can add to their number. There may be an infinite number of names of God. I think that Baha’u’llah’s meaning here is that God has decreed that, in honour of Baha’u’llah’s suffering, he allows us to use the names “God the imprisoned one” and “God the Peerless.”
Obviously this does not mean that God was in prison in Akka. In the first place, he says that his station “is the station in which one dieth to himself (fana’)and liveth in God (baqa’). And in the second place, Baha’u’llah believed that the names God allows us to use to call on him are valid simply because God allows it, not because they really govern the sovereign God. In the Gems of Mysteries he quotes the Quran and explains:
“Say: Call upon God or call upon the All-Merciful: by whichsoever name ye will, invoke him, for He hath most excellent names.”2 For they [the founders of religions] are all the Manifestations of the name of God, the Dawning-Places of His attributes, the Repositories of His might, and the Focal Points of His sovereignty, whilst God – magnified be His might and glory – is in His Essence sanctified above all names and exalted beyond even the loftiest attributes.
(Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 34, see http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/GDM/gdm-4.html#pg34)
Yes, Ghulam Sarwar, the Qiblah to which Bahais turn during the daily obligatory prayers is the grave of Baha’u’llah. Bahai graves should also be oriented with the feet facing the grave of Baha’u’llah.
The different Qiblah, calendar, and other external details serve to differentiate one religious community from another, as the Quran states:
“for every nation have We appointed a ritua'” (22.34)
A letter Baha’u’llah wrote to Mirza Abu’l-Fadl, in response to questions raised by of Manakji Limji Hataria, says, in a rough translation,
“All the prophets of old, and of even more distant ages, have revealed commands and prohibitions. The intent of some of the acts that are performed today is to preserve the divine Name, …. For this supreme verse was revealed to the Lord of Mecca (Muhammad): “We appointed the qiblah, which thou formerly hadst, only that we might know him who followeth the apostle, from him who turneth on his heels.”
Yes, Ghulam. The Báb said the Qiblih was to be wherever Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest was. It is now Bahá’u’lláh’s grave, which is in ‘Akká, Israel.
Thank you Montagna and Sen Mcglinn. The Bahais need a Qiblah and they have got that. Well and good. Bahais bury their dead with feet towards grave of Baha sahib. It is similar to the Jews and Christians.
And Bahais face to the grave in Akka during their individual prayers. Thanks for providing the information.
Now about McGlenn coming to the aid of Susan, about the word Ana or Inna. The problem is not solved because the writing is very old and well known that the real word in that line is ana (not Inna).
Moreover, the word Inna makes the whole Arabic sentence meaningless.
Thanks to McGlenn about providing many names for God. But forgot that all good names should be for Allah (God). Is “Imprisoned” a good name for God?
“Imprisoned” is not a good name for God. The words of Baha sahib become meaningless by the use of Inna. It does not fit in. Please see and check and comment. Thank you.
Ghulam Sarwar, I agree that the line appears to be meaningless with inna. Nevertheless, it is good scholarship to check one’s sources and note such things, and I am grateful to Susan for doing what I failed to do.
The 1996 edition here:
http://reference.bahai.org/fa/t/b/Q1/q1-231.html#pg226
shows inna. When the electronic version of this text was prepared, this was changed to anna. The people who did this MAY have gone back to the authentic manuscript and found that the 1996 edition was incorrect. OR the may have thought, that must be wrong, and simply fixed it, which would be the wrong thing to do since the original might have been inna huwa…. I have looked at the printed book of the 1996 (third) edition: it does not have notes about text variants, and the Introduction does not say anything about checking the text as it was printed in the first and second editions. That aspect of Bahai scholarship (text-critical editions) is only beginning to develop now. Unless we can gain more information about the editors’ procedure, or find an authenticated manuscript, we simply have to note the two versions.
The name of God “the imprisoned” is used elsewhere in the Bahai writings. I suspect it may go back to the Bab’s writings, but I have not found an example. An example in Baha’u’llah’s writings is this:
قل لک البهآء و لک الشنآء یا آیها المسجون انت الذيۭ ناحت بضرك سكان مدائن الفردوس و فزع عباد مكرمون
At http://reference.bahai.org/fa/t/o/HNU/hnu-72.html#pg68, last line of the quotation on that page.
The station of the ruler who rules and the judge giving justice is ennobled by the names of God, The Sovereign, the Judge. But what about the innocent prisoner? What attribute of God can he find to inspire and console him?
The Gospel of Matthew (25:35) offers us an answer:
“… I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’…
God is not only the King and Judge and Knower, who is with the king and judge and scholar in their work: God is also with the innocent prisoner in prison, he is oppressed with the oppressed. Hence:
بسمه المظلوم المسجون
(http://reference.bahai.org/fa/t/b/NR/nr-188.html#pg186)
In the name of God, the Oppressed, the Imprisoned. There is also “the patient” (“Be patient, for verily thy Lord is patient” ~Baha’u’llah, in Epistle to the Son of the Wolf). That too is a name of God in the Bahai writings that is not in the Quran, as far as I know.
The correct version is:
لا اله الا انا المسجون الفرید
That phrase is well known amongst Farsi Baha’is and if you google the phrase you will come up with multiple Farsi Baha’i sites trying to justify it. None of them has ever stated it should be:
لا اله الا ان المسجون الفرید
That statement is well known amongst Farsi Baha’is and although western Baha’is have not paid attention to it it has always been a matter of conflict against Baha’is in Iran. As others have stated the second version is completely meaningless in Arabic and is a typo in the third edition of this book.
The writings of Babism and Baha’ism are very similar to those of sufis and mystics and as Ghulam Sarwar said were most probably followers of the heretical Wahdat Wujud belief.
As I already pointed out the Bab had made the following claim:
“Verily, `Alī before Nabīl (i.e. himself, the Bāb) is the Essence of God and His Being,” The Bāb, Lauḥ haykal al-dīn, p. 5.
The Arabic words:
ان علی قبل النبیل ذات الله و کینونیته
http://www.bayanic.com/showPict.php?id=din&ref=5&err=0&curr=1
The matter of claiming to be God was so problematic that Abadu’l-Baha was forced to give an answer and inadvertently exposed a number of other such claims from very high statured Babi and Baha’i figures. I am quoting a Farsi section of vol. 2 of Abdu’l-Baha’s “Makatib” found here:
http://reference.bahai.org/download/ma2-fa-pdf.zip
pp. 254-255
Abdu’l-Baha claims that when the following figures claimed they were God none of them asked anyone to worship them and there is no problem in the words uttered:
حضرت قدّوس روحی له الفداء يك كتاب در تفسير صمد نازل
فرمودند از عنوان كتاب تا نهايتش انّی انا اللّه است
و جناب طاهره انی انا اللّه را در بدشت تا عنان آسمان
باعلی النداء بلند نمود و همچنين بعضی احبّاء در بدشت
و جمال مبارك در قصيده ورقائيه ميفرمايد
كلّ الالوه من رشح امری تالّهت
و كلّ الربوب من طفح حكمی تربّت
Translation:
“His highness Quddus (one the Bab’s most important followers) may my soul be sacrificed for him revealed a book about the interpretation of (God’s name) Samad. (In the book) from start to beginning it was written “verily I am Allah” [!!!]. Tahirih (another one of the Bab’s followers) in Badasht (a place in ran) also uttered with the loudest voice that reached the skies “Verily I am Allah” and other friends uttered these words in Badasht too. The blessed Beauty (meaning Baha’u’llah) said in his Warqa’iyyah poem: ‘All Gods became Gods from the flow of my affairs and all Lords became Lords by the overflowing of my decree.”
There are tens of instances in the Arabic works of Baha’u’llah where he repeatedly makes similar claims.
I am truly sickened by these words. Look at them, just look at them claiming to be Allah, and Abdu’l-Baha goes around saying it is no big deal because they weren’t claiming divinity and they didn’t ask anyone to worship them. They simply said we are Allah!
And by the way people here might be interested about the background of the person “Sen McGlenn” who is defending Baha’ism.
Sen was a Baha’i academic who greatly served Baha’ism through his research and he is still well respected for that (to be honest and fair I disagree with a lot of the things he says but I too respect him because of his research). The Baha’i Universal House of Justice kicked him out of the Baha’i faith without even explaining to him why and Sen still doesn’t know exactly why he was backstabbed in such a manner. Rumor has it his academic work turned up stuff the Baha’i Universal House of Justice didn’t like.
Although Sen still believes he is a Baha’i, the Universal House of Justice has dis-enrolled him. He was lucky he was not labelled a Covenant Breaker or else he would have been shunned and no Baha’is would have been allowed to speak with him.
Find more about him here:
senmcglinn.wordpress.com/about/about-dissenrolment/
https://fglaysher.com/bahaicensorship/Cole,neworthodoxy.htm
http://bacquet.blogspot.com/2005/12/sen-mcglinns-disenrollment.html
I also forgot. These are the first words the Bab uses to write his will:
الله اکبر تکبیرا
هذا کتاب من عند الله المهیمن القوم
الی الله المهیمن القیوم
Which means:
“God is greater, much greater. This is a letter from the Dominant Eternal God to the Dominant Eternal God”
Isn’t that just amazing! A letter for God TO God!
A facsimile of these words can be found on page 23 of 59 of the PDF here:
http://www.bayanic.com/showItem.php?id=NK001
sen,
You stated:
<<>>
You do realize that “the imprisoned” in the statement does not refer to God but refers to Baha’u’llha, do you not?!! It is clear from the words that come next:
“انت الذيۭ ناحت بضرك سكان مدائن الفردوس”
The word بضرک clearly refers to Baha’u’llah not God.
Sir SEN McGLINN, you have tried hard to justify the word Masjoon. Well done. But your info:
In the name of God, the Oppressed, the Imprisoned.
—————————-
The real translation does not have word God in it. The Arabic words from Baha sahib say “In the name of the oppressed, the imprisoned. That is in the name of the mazloom, masjoon.
And we know that it was Baha sahib who being oppressed and imprisoned, not God.
There is no harm in Baha sahib writing. He is talking about himself only and not about God or from God. You people have complicated the matter yourself. (I can justify it easily).
The Terminator has lot of material for you. I have nothing and I have not read all the posts of Terminator.
I suggest that you attend to terminator please. I will try to follow your explanations. Thanks and Bye.
What I have learned over the years of study of the Baha’i Teachings is that it is all too easy to find apparent contradictions if you are looking for them. And if one is patient and reflects, what seemed to be a contradiction, turns out to be attempts to explain things from different perspectives. One of these is the claim of Baha’u’llah to be God. In this rather lengthy passage, Baha’u’llah directly explains the contradiction in His effort to help us understand the unique nature of the Manifestations of God.
“Were any of the all-embracing Manifestations of God to declare: ‘I am God,’ He, verily, speaketh the truth, and no doubt attacheth thereto. For it hath been repeatedly demonstrated that through their Revelation, their attributes and names, the Revelation of God, His names and His attributes, are made manifest in the world. Thus, He hath revealed: ‘Those shafts were God’s, not Thine.’ And also He saith: ‘In truth, they who plighted fealty unto Thee, really plighted that fealty unto God.’ And were any of them to voice the utterance, ‘I am the Messenger of God,’ He, also, speaketh the truth, the indubitable truth. Even as He saith: ‘Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but He is the Messenger of God.’ Viewed in this light, they are all but Messengers of that ideal King, that unchangeable Essence. And were they all to proclaim, ‘I am the Seal of the Prophets,’ they, verily, utter but the truth, beyond the faintest shadow of doubt. For they are all but one person, one soul, one spirit, one being, one revelation. They are all the manifestation of the ‘Beginning’ and the ‘End,’ the ‘First’ and the ‘Last,’ the ‘Seen’ and the ‘Hidden’ — all of which pertain to Him Who is the Innermost Spirit of Spirits and Eternal Essence of Essences. And were they to say, ‘We are the Servants of God,’ this also is a manifest and indisputable fact. For they have been made manifest in the uttermost state of servitude, a servitude the like of which no man can possibly attain. Thus in moments in which these Essences of Being were deep immersed beneath the oceans of ancient and everlasting holiness, or when they soared to the loftiest summits of Divine mysteries, they claimed their utterances to be the Voice of Divinity, the Call of God Himself.
Were the eye of discernment to be opened, it would recognize that in this very state, they have considered themselves utterly effaced and non-existent in the face of Him Who is the All-Pervading, the Incorruptible. Methinks, they have regarded themselves as utter nothingness, and deemed their mention in that Court an act of blasphemy. For the slightest whispering of self within such a Court is an evidence of self-assertion and independent existence. In the eyes of them that have attained unto that Court, such a suggestion is itself a grievous transgression. How much more grievous would it be, were aught else to be mentioned in that Presence, were man’s heart, his tongue, his mind, or his soul, to be busied with any one but the Well-Beloved, were his eyes to behold any countenance other than His beauty, were his ear to be inclined to any melody but His Voice, and were his feet to tread any way but His way….
By virtue of this station they have claimed for themselves the Voice of Divinity and the like, whilst by virtue of their station of Messengership, they have declared themselves the Messengers of God. In every instance they have voiced an utterance that would conform to the requirements of the occasion, and have ascribed all these declarations to Themselves, declarations ranging from the realm of Divine Revelation to the realm of creation, and from the domain of Divinity even unto the domain of earthly existence. Thus it is that whatsoever be their utterance, whether it pertain to the realm of Divinity, Lordship, Prophethood, Messengership, Guardianship, Apostleship, or Servitude, all is true, beyond the shadow of a doubt. Therefore these sayings which We have quoted in support of Our argument must be attentively considered, that the divergent utterances of the Manifestations of the Unseen and Day Springs of Holiness may cease to agitate the soul and perplex the mind.”
(Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 54)
With specific reference to Himself, as the Manifestation of God, He openly declares the contradiction which characterizes all Manifestations:
“When I contemplate, O my God, the relationship that bindeth me to Thee, I am moved to proclaim to all created things ‘verily I am God’; and when I consider my own self, lo, I find it coarser than clay!”
(Baha’u’llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 234)
He goes to great lengths to explain this unique relationship between the Manifestation and God:
“By My life! Not of Mine own volition have I revealed Myself, but God, of His own choosing, hath manifested Me. In the Tablet, addressed to His Majesty the Shah — may God, blessed and glorified be He, assist him — these words have streamed from the tongue of this Wronged One:
“‘O King! I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-Knowing. And He bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven, and for this there befell Me what hath caused the tears of every man of understanding to flow. The learning current amongst men I studied not; their schools I entered not. Ask of the city wherein I dwelt, that thou mayest be well assured that I am not of them who speak falsely. This is but a leaf which the winds of the will of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised, have stirred. Can it be still when the tempestuous winds are blowing? Nay, by Him Who is the Lord of all Names and Attributes! They move it as they list. The evanescent is as nothing before Him Who is the Ever-Abiding. His all-compelling summons hath reached Me, and caused Me to speak His praise amidst all people. I was indeed as one dead when His behest was uttered. The hand of the will of thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Merciful, transformed Me.'”
(Baha’u’llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 10)
So when we see Baha’u’llah using words like “Verily I am God”, He is simply operating in the role of the Voice of God. He is not actually claiming to be God.
@Steve Worth: So when we see Baha’u’llah using words like “Verily I am God”, He is simply operating in the role of the Voice of God. He is not actually claiming to be God.
———————————-
It seems to be something similar to what Hazrat Krishan a.s. had spoken in Holy Geeta. There he is advising Arjun in such words that seem he is calling himself as God. But I am sure that was not the purpose. Krishan was not God but he was a prophet of God.
Similarly here, Baha sahib is calling himself God. He is making things very complicated. There was no need to utter such words which relate to paganism and polytheism.
The case of Baha sahib is complicated because there has been a sect amongst Muslims, called Wahdat ul Wujood. They say every one is God, even dog is a god. An elephant is God. But that is not right.
Baha sahib has made things complicated. There was no need to do that and no need to make long explanations. It is grave sin to associate any one with God. Muslims have been misled in many ways but they can never believe in Baha. Also, Baha sahib discarding Islam and starting a new religion (Bahaism) other than Islam (may be good in some way as to be truthful) but it cannot achieve anything because there is a verse in the Quran which states:
“Whoever wished to have any other way of life (Deen), other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him.” (last section of Para three of Quran)
So Allah will not accept a Deen other than Islam.
If Baha sahib had any revelations from God, he should have presented the same to the public and not address (present) himself as God.
On the other hand, it appears that Bahaism is nothing more than Christianity, i.e. Eastern Orthodox Church, i.e. Russian version of Christianity.
There is no compulsion in Religion. Bahais are permitted to believe and preach what they like. Nobody should stop them or disturb them.