babi and bahai

8/8/2019 Babi and Bahai

1/111


2/111

THE BB

AND BAHRELIGION

ISLAM INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATIONS LTD


3/111

THE BB AND BAH RELIGION

Prepared bySufi A. Q. Niyaz

Islam International Publications Ltd

First English Edition 1960

Reprinted 1967

First published in England 2004

Published by

Islam International Publications Ltd.

Islamabad

Sheephatch Lane

Tilford, Surrey

United Kingdom GU10 2AQ

Printed in UK at

Raqeem Press

Tilford, Surrey

Cover Design: Nasir Sajjad

ISBN: 1 85372 751 2


4/111

Table of ContentsFOREWORD TO THE FIRST EDITION .................................................. IFOREWORD TO THE PRESENT EDITION........................................... 1THE BB AND BAH RELIGION....................................................... 6

ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT............................................................6CLAIM OF BAB ...............................................................................10MAIN POINTS .................................................................................16THE GENERAL STATE OF AFFAIRS IN PERSIA AT THE TIME ..........18LIFE OF ALIMUHAMMAD BAB PRIOR TO HIS CLAIM ...................20HIS INITIAL CLAIM.........................................................................22CONDITION IN GENERAL OF THE FOLLOWERS OF BAB...................23THE PROMINENT FOUR AMONG BABS FOLLOWERS ......................24SUBH-E-AZAL ................................................................................27POLITICAL NATURE AND AIMS OF THE BABI MOVEMENT. .............27WHEN AND HOW WAS THE AMBITION BORN TO ABROGATE THEISLAMIC SHARIA ............................................................................29THE BABI SHARIA ..........................................................................33AL-BAYAN .....................................................................................34SUBH-E-AZAL AND HIS BOOK........................................................35SOME SALIENT POINTS OF THE SHARIA OF AL-BAYAN ..................36HISTORY OF THE BAHAIMOVEMENT ...........................................38

BAHAULLAHS SCHEMES AFTEREXECUTION OF THE BAB ..........39MOVE TO IRAQ AND THE REASON BEHIND THAT MOVE.................41OPPOSITION FROM SUBH-E-AZAL..................................................42BAHAULLAH GOES TO SULAIMANIYYAH......................................43RETURN TO BAGHDAD FROM SULAIMANIYYAH ............................43TO CONSTANTINOPLE ....................................................................45DEPARTURE FORAKKA ................................................................47WAS BAHAULLAH A PRISONER IN AKKA? ..................................49LIFE AT AKKA...............................................................................51

BAHAULLAH'S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT IN REGARD TO HISSUCCESSOR.....................................................................................53AQDAS, BOOK OF THE NEW SHARIA OF THE BAHAIS. ....................54BAHAIATTITUDE IN REGARD TO PUBLICATION OF THIS BOOK...54

COMPARISON BETWEEN THE ISLAMIC AND THE BAHSHARIHS ................................................................................................ 58

THERE CAN BE NO COMPARISON BETWEEN THE HOLY QURANAND AQDAS.....................................................................................58THE BAHAI SHARIA IS IN THREE PARTS .......................................61


5/111

THE QURN IS A LIVING BOOK & THE ISLAMIC SHARIA ISIRREPLACEABLE.................................................................................... 78

BAHAISM FOUNDED ON THE BELIEF THAT THE ISLAMIC SHARIADESERVES TO BE ABANDONED. ......................................................78

CORRECT MEANING OF THE VERSE (107 OF AL-BAQARAH) ..........79WHEN DOES A NEW LAW COME? ...................................................82BABI AND BAHAI LEADERS THEMSELVES ADMIT THAT THE HOLYQURAN EMBODIES A COMPLETE, COMPREHENSIVE ANDUNIVERSAL SHARIA........................................................................83THE QURAN SAFE FROM INTERFERENCE. .....................................85TESTIMONY OF THE QURAN ITSELF. .............................................86MEANING OF AL-QAYYIM. ..............................................................94ACONCLUSIVE ARGUMENT...........................................................94

BAHAULLAH CLAIMED DIVINITY FOR HIMSELF. ..........................96BAHAULLAH CLAIMED GODHEAD AND DIVINITY......................100PART MAN AND PART GOD..........................................................100

SUMMARY............................................................................................... 103


6/111


7/111


8/111


9/111

THE BB AND BAH RELIGION 2

Sufi A. Q. Niyaz, a great scholar in his own right,compiled the book from the Scholarly literature ofJamaat Ahmadiyya, such as books and articles by

Hadrat Maulana Abul Ata Jalandhari, who was thefirst to publish, and bring it in public Al-Aqdas theHoly book of Bahais, which till then was notcirculated even among Bahais, except their trustedelites, let alone the non-Bahais. Moreover, he wasvery well versed in the Babi and Bahai literature and

had met great Bahai leaders.Here, we would like to make one general observa-

tion about Bahai ism. Bahai ism inspite of its socalled worldwidereputation remains an esoteric creedand a secret organization the true teachings of which,especially about the real nature of Bahaullah's claim,are known only to the selected few so much so that itsown followers are kept ignorant about these facts.However, an attractive and acceptable facade iserected around the nucleus of the teachings to attractand exploit the credulous common man. Moreover,as a consequenceofthe above, Bahai ism is very

adept at disguising itself behind various masks toappeal to various religions and creeds.

The name of Muhammadsa, the Holy Prophet ofIslam, has been followed by the symbol

sa, which is an

abbreviation for the salutation may peace andblessings of Allah be upon him. The names of other


10/111


prophets and messengers are followed by thesymbol

as, an abbreviation for on whom be peace.

The actual salutations have not generally been set out

in full, but they should nevertheless, be understood asbeing repeated in full in each case. The symbol

rais

used with the name of the Disciples of the HolyProphet

sa. It stands for Radi Allahu anhu/anha/

anhum (May Allah be pleased with him/with her/withthem).

In transliterating Arabic words we have followedthe following system adopted by the Royal AsiaticSociety.

at the beginning of a word, pronounced as a, i, upreceded by a very slight aspiration, like h in the

English word honour. th, pronounced like th in the English word

thing.

h, a guttural aspirate, stronger than h. kh, pronounced like the Scotch ch in loch. dh, pronounced like the English th in that. s, strongly articulated s. d, similar to the English th in this. t, strongly articulated palatal t.


11/111


z, strongly articulated z. , a strong guttural, the pronunciation of which

must be learnt by the ear.

gh, a sound approached very nearly in the rgrasseye in French, and in the German r. It re-

quires the muscles of the throat to be in the gar-

gling position whilst pronouncing it.

q, a deep guttural k sound. , a sort of catch in the voice.

Short vowels are represented by a for (like uin bud); i for(like i in bid); u for (likeoo in wood); the long vowels by a for or(like a in father); i for or(like ee indeep); ai for (like i in site) ; u for (like oo in root); au for (resembling ou insound).

Please note that in transliterated words the lettere is to be pronounced as in prey which rhymes

with day; however the pronunciation is flat withoutthe element of English diphthong. If in Urdu andPersian words 'e' is lengthened a bit more it istransliterated as 'ei' to be pronounced as 'ei' in 'feign'

In Arabic words like (Shaikh) there is an element of diphthong which is

missing when the word is pronounced in Urdu.


12/111


without the element of diphthong thus '

' is translit-erated as 'Kei'. For the nasal sound of 'n' we have usedthe symbol ''. Thus Urdu word '

' is transliterated

as 'mein'.*The consonants not included in the above list have

the same phonetic value as in the principal languagesof Europe.

We have not transliterated Arabic, Persian or Urdu

words which have become part of English language,e.g., Islam, Mahdi, Quran, Hijra, Ramadan, Hadith,ulema, umma, sunna, kafir, pukka etc.

For quotes straight commas (straight quotes) areused to differentiate them from the curved commasused in the system of transliteration, for, for.

Commas as punctuation marks are used according tothe normal usage.

The Publishers

* These transliterations are not included in the system of transliteration by

Royal Asiatic Society.Concise Oxford Dictionary records Quran in three formsQuran, Quran

and Koran.


13/111


THE BB AND BAH

RELIGION

Origin and Development

Among variants of the Shia point of view there isa sect called the Ithna Asharia. The Shias regardHadrat Ali as invested with special sanctity, to anextent where it involves denial of the authority of the

three Khalifas who preceded Hadrat Ali in this office,namely, Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman. According tothe belief of the Ithna Asharia, there have beentwelve rightful Imams afterHadrat Ali, eleven ofthem having died after the normal span of their lives,but the twelfth having disappeared and gone into

hiding in some cave, to reappear towards the end ofthe world as the expected Imam Mahdi to bring themission of his Imamat to completion.

Shias of the Ithna Asharia sect also hold that eversince the time the twelfth Imam went into hiding, hekeeps one of his followers, the best and most devoted,

in the position of a Bab, i.e., a door through which therest of his followers could maintain spiritual contactand communion with him. According to Alqami, anoted Shia writer and divine, "To this day there havealways been among his followers people of specialdevotion who have held the position of a Bab (door)


14/111


in relation to him, with functions to serve as a linkbetween the Imam and his followers for the communi-cation of what should and what should not be done."1

In Shia history there have been four people whohave claimed the position of a Bab, the last amongthem having been Abul Hasan Ali bin Muhammad-al-Samri, who died in the year 260 of the Hijra,according to one source, in 328 according to another.

Subsequent to the death of the fourth Bab, above-mentioned Abul Hasan, the idea about the existenceand the necessity for the presence of a Bab began toweaken. Towards the end of the 12th century of theHijra it had practically faded out since popularexpectations in regard to the reappearance of theHidden Imam had not been fulfilled.

The Ithna Asharia sect had gained a considerableamount of footing in Iran where some people tried tokeep the belief in the necessity for a Bab alive amongthe people; and the idea such people tried to exploitwas that the time for the reappearance of the Imam

was drawing very near. Foremost among those whoworked for this revival were men like Shaikh Ahmadal-Ahsai and Sayyid Kazim Rashti. These two are themost important for the purpose in hand since the Babiand the Bahai religions grew out of their teaching and

1

Ikmalud din, page 56.


15/111


the positions they took up in regard to a number ofquestions.

Shaikh Ahmad al-Ahsai was born in 1167 Hijrain a tribe of Bahrain, known by name of Bani Sakhr.His fathers name was Zainuddin al-Ahsai. Ahmadal-Ahsai was the founder of the sub-sect of the IthnaAsharia which is known as the Shaikhiyyah. He diedin 1242 Hijra (A.D. 1826). The ideas he preachedwere essentially of the nature of Shia beliefs, but hebrought forth rather a different interpretation of theQuran and the Hadith, this being the reason whythose who accepted his way of thought came to beknown as a new sect called the Shaikhiyyah.2

That Shaikh Ahmad al-Ahsai was a true Shia isquite clearly borne out by Alkawakib, page 42. Withregard to the Imam Mahdi, Ahmad Ahsai's idea wasthat the twelfth Imam, Askari, who was held to havegone into hiding, was still alive, and would reappearat the proper time, which now was going to be verysoon. His main point was the good news he professedto bear that the time of the reappearance of the HiddenImam was very near3. On this rallying point Al-Ahsaigathered together a considerable number of followers.

2 Collection of Journals printed in Egypt, page 77.3

Al-Kawakib, page 45.


16/111


In fact some of these have held him to be theMujaddid of the 13th century4.

In his own lifetime Ahmad Al-Ahsai had ap-pointed Sayyid Kazim Rashti as his successor. Rashtiwas born in Rasht in 1205 Hijra. When Ahmad Al-Ahsai died in 1242 Hijra, Kazim Rashti became thehead of the Shaikhiyyah sect. While in the main hestrove to spread the teaching of Ahmad Al-Ahsai, healso differed in some points, this being the reason whyhis followers came to be known by a different name,i.e., the Kashfiyyah. Kazim Rashti died at Karbala in1259 Hijra.

Kazim Rashti divided his followers into threegroups. The most important among them were thepeople who remained with him day and night. Beforethese he opened the innermost chambers of his heart.Sayyid Ali Muhammad Bab, who became thefounder of the Babi religion, was the foremost amongthese, and when he put forth his claim to beinghimself the Bab, most other membeis of this innergroup of the followers of Rashti accepted his claim.One among these was a woman named Umm-e-Salmato whom Kazim Rashti had given the title of QurratulAin.

4

Arrisalatul Tisa Asharia, page 11.


17/111


18/111


Hijra, the fifth of Jamadiul Awwal, twohours and fifteen minutes after sunset5.

Beginning at first with a claim that he was theBab, Ali Muhammad also claimed later that he wasthe expected Mahdi as well. But he never claimed tobe a prophet, nor did his followers accept him as such.However, he claimed to be the "Nuqtah" (point), butleft the meaning of this expression convenientlyvague.

His activities and those of his followers soon cameto be looked upon with grave suspicion, especially asthere was a considerable measure of secrecy observedby him and his followers in the matter of the innerteaching, so much so that the central scripture of theBahai faith, entitled the Bayan, one hardly ever seesanywhere even to this day. This secrecy gave rise to adeep suspicion in the mind of the authorities that theinner teaching bore the taint of violent political aims,for, otherwise, it was argued, there was no ground forthe strict secrecy observed.

The authorities first acted by placing certain re-strictions upon Ali Muhammad. This was in 1262Hijra. He was to remain confined to his house; wasnot to mix with people; and was to refrain from

5

May 23, 1844, of the Christian era.


19/111


propagating his views. His uncle, Haji Ali, had tostand surety that these instructions would be obeyed.

As to the question why the government took thisseemingly oppressive stand in regard to a religiousmovement, only one quotation need be given here.According to Makatib Abdul Baha, Vol II, page 266,"During the days of the advent ofHadrat-e-Ala,(Founder of the Babi religion) the, teaching was thatheads should be cut off, books and leaves burnt,places demolished and laid waste, and a generalslaughter made, except in the case of those whorendered belief and homage."

Evidently this was not the kind of teaching whichthe established government of the country could verywell leave to spread in the land unchecked.

Another interesting fact also deserves to be bornein mind. On Ramadan 21, 1262 Hijra, the ulema ofShiraz, acting through the administrative agencies,called upon Ali Muhammad to appear before thepeople in a mosque, where he was asked to recant

from his claims and views. There upon Ali Muham-mad mounted the pulpit and made a remarkablespeech. It was remarkable in the sense that thosepresent failed to get any idea as to what he wasdriving at. According to Al-Kawakib, page 88, "Theaudience was left in no position to understand whetherhe had spoken in renunciation of his views or in


20/111


support thereof." But this source admits that the ulemawere reassured that he had given up his claim. AliMuhammad then resumed the life of isolation he hadbegun to lead some time before. Some other historicalsources state that in response to the call by the ulema,Ali Muhammad "mounted the pulpit and in a clear,loud voice renounced and repented of his views asdemanded by the ulema. Then he came down andkissed their hands."6

In this connection mention also needs to be madeof the written recantation and renunciation of hisviews which Ali Muhammad submitted to NasiruddinShah, the Heir-Apparent at that time.7

Following this recantation, or explanation, orwhatever it was intended or taken to be, Ali Mu-hammad Bab took outwardly to a life of comparativeseclusion. But inwardly the activities of the movementcontinued more or less as before, though of coursegreater care was taken to keep them secret. Clasheswith the public and the authorities, however began tooccur frequently, so that the government at lastarrested Ali Muhammad Bab and put him into prison.When disturbances continued even after that, theauthorities decided that he should be shot, along with

6Al-Harab, by Muhammad Fadil, printed in Egypt, page 173.7

Kashful Hiyal, Vol. II, pages 88, 89.


21/111


two followers. One of these recanted at this junctureand was spared, while Ali Muhammad and the otherfollower were shot in 1850 of the Christian era.

At the time of his death Ali Muhammad wasbarely thirty years of age, and his mission not morethan six years old. He was succeeded by, MirzaYahya, who took the title of "Subh-e-Azal" (Morningof Eternity).

In 1852 several Babis made an attempt on the lifeof the King, but failed and were arrested. A plot wassuspected and many more Babis were put to deathamong them the beautiful but fiery Qurratul Ain.

Mirza Yahya, orSubhi Azal, thereafter removedhimself to Baghdad from where he peacefully

propagated his views. Himself he lived in seclusion,leaving the direction of affairs in the hands, of hisbrother, MirzaHusain Ali. This position lasted forten years, during which time MirzaHusain Ali wascontent with the second position assigned to him. Butthen he took his stand on the basis of certain prophe-

cies of Ali Muhammad Bab which spoke of "onewhom God was to manifest."

It is to be noted that these prophecies had been leftas vague and undefined as the meaning of "Nuqtah"one of the titles taken up by Ali Muhammad Bab.These prophecies gave no indication as to the time or

signs when this manifestation from God was to take


22/111


place. He had simply said that when the expected onecame he would be recognised by all. In 1863 MirzaHusain Ali declared that he was the one whoseadvent had been foretold by Ali Muhammad Bab,and he took the title of Bahaullah, meaning theSplendour of God.

But Mirza Yahya, with some of his followers,refused to accept this claim, the split giving rise totwo sections, the Azalis and the Bahaisthose whoremained with Subhe Azal in his denial of the claimsof MirzaHusain Ali, and those who accepted thelatters claim that he was the Bahaullah.

Following the unsuccesful attempt on the life ofthe king when several Babis were arrested, MirzaHusain Ali was among them. He remained in prisonfor about four months, was released, and soonafterwards moved to Baghdad, where he thought thathe would perhaps be better in a position to pursue hisambitions and schemes. Subh-e-Azal also thereafterwent to live in Baghdad.

The rivalry between the two sects, the Azalis andthe Bahais, began to give rise to quarrels between thefollowers of both, so that the Turkish Governmentdecided that Subh-e-Azal and Bahaullah should bekept at different places. In 1868 Bahaullah and hisfollowers were exiled to Akka in Syria, while Subh-e-Azal was sent to Famagusta in Cyprus.


23/111


Bahaullah died on 16th May, 1892, and wassucceeded by his son, Abbas Afandi. But another sonnamed Muhammad Ali advanced claims of his ownfor succession. He gained but few followers, but inAkka itself was successful in obtaining custody ofBahaullahs tomb.

The Azali sect has since been losing ground whilethe Bahais have made some progress in gainingconverts in some places, in Europe and USA amongothers, though much ground is left for speculation inregard to their precise number and the exact nature oftheir prevailing teaching, since there is reason tobelieve that they conveniently shift their ground fromone climate to another.

Main PointsThus, from a close study of the background from

which the Babi movement rose the followinginteresting and rather significant points emergebeyond any kind of doubt whatsoever:

(a)The Babi movement began as an offshoot of theShia point of view, the central doctrine havingbeen the position of the Hidden Imam and theimportance of the Bab as an intermediary betweenhim and his followers. The Ithna Ashariyya andthe Shaikhiyyah, which represent the parent bodyof Babi and Bahai thought, laid so much empha-


24/111


sis on the near approach of the time when theHidden Imam was to reappear as the Imam Mahdithat the hopes of devout followers rose to white

heat. Ali Muhammad first claimed to be the Bab,then went a step further by claiming that he wasthe Imam Mahdi so eagerly expected. After AliMuhammad Bab, MirzaHusain Ali, who calledhimself Bahaullah, initially exploited in his ownfavour certain passages in the writings of Ali

Muhammad Bab which vaguely appeared to speakof the appearance of another teacher after him: butlater he seems to have overshot those marks, forhe ended by abrogating the Islamic Sharia, a pointwhich we shall discuss in some detail at anotherstage.

(b)As is universally admitted to be usual with theShias, the Babis observed a considerable measureof secrecy in regard to their doctrine and inneraims.

(c)Some of these aims were undeniably political,with a possibility, even a probability of recourse,if practicable, to violent means for the attainmentof those aims.

(d)Due to (b) and (c) a head-on clash with thegovernment and portions of the public was onlynatural.


25/111


The General State of Affairs in Persia at the Time

In the history of Persia this was a period of ex-

treme decadence, political as well as religious.Aggressive sectarianism was at its height. Says,Abbas Afandi: "In Iran different sects and separategroupings exist in large numbers, such as Mutasharia,Shaikhiyyah, Sufia, and Nasiriyyah, etc., all of whichregard the others as Kafirs and Fasiqs."8

About the middle of the 13th century the Shias ingeneral, and the Shaikhiyyah in particular, werewaiting for the appearance of the Imam Mahdi with aneagerness which almost bordered on impatience9.Another Bahai writes: "All the followers of ShaikhAhmad and Sayyid Kazim in those days were waiting

for the appearance of the Promised One with a greatdeal of eagerness and impatience."10

Moreover, like many other Asiatic countries, Iranat that time was preparing to rise against the oldsystem of absolute monarchy, while Europeanstatesmen in the leading countries had their fingers on

the pulse of the country, waiting for a chance to turnevents to their own advantage. In a serious study ofthe genesis of the Babi and Bahai movement, factors

8Maqalah Sayyah, page 113.9Asr-e-Jadid, Arabic Edition, page 22.10

Risalatul Tisa Asharia, page 20.


26/111


such as these cannot be overlooked. It is incontestablethat the Government of Iran, to begin with, did nottake up any attitude of hostility towards the move-

ment11 and this continued to be the policy of theGovernment until the Babis and Bahais took to thepath of rebellion, following which the Government, ofcourse, had to adopt a severe line of action. There isalso reason to believe that the movement had contactwith some foreign powers. We read in Bahai history

that when some Babis fired at the Emperor in anattempt to assassinate him many of them werearrested, and "MirzaHusain Ali, Bahaullah, also wasimprisoned, and in one district alone 400 villagesbelonging to him were confiscated. And if the Britishand Russian Embassies had not taken an interest in the

case, world history might well have been deprived ofthe events of an illustrious life"12. It is also known thatwhen the Bab was executed, the Russian Councilmanaged to take a photograph and sent it to hisGovernment13. Bahaullah himself writes: "When westarted from Iran, we were accompanied by horsemen

of Iranian and Russian Governments until we reachedIraq to be received with due respect."14

11Maqala Sayyah, page 16.12Bahaullah ki Talimat, printed at Agra, page 18.13Al-Kawakib, page 446.14

Nabdhatu min Talimul Baha, page 71.


27/111


28/111


time, in seclusion. He would extricate himself fromthe business of the shop, climb to the roof, and theredevote himself to prayer and meditation."16

At this stage he began to write in support of theShia doctrine, with some monographs on the HiddenImam, which attracted a considerable amount ofattention in Shaikhiyyah circles. "The Bab wrote indetail in regard to the Imam Mahdi and his character-istic attributes, and he always withheld his pen fromwriting anything against the Shia view. In fact hesupported and extolled this view, holding it to becorrect, including the belief in regard to the HiddenImam."17

Ali Muhammad married when he was 22, and hisfriends and relations thought that now perhaps hewould settle down. After one year a child was born,but died in infancy. Now more disturbed in mind thanever before, he left home and went to Karbala.

This was 1258 Hijra, when Kazim Rashti was yetalive. In addition to visiting the tombs of celebrated

saints, Ali Muhammad also attended the dars18

ofKazim Rashti19. He returned from Karbala to Bushahr

16 Al-Kawakib, page 64.17Al-Kawakib, page 66.18 A lecture or discourse by a learned religious scholar in an informal class

which anyone interested can attend. [Publisher]19

Al-Risatul Tisa Asharia, page 29.


29/111


after some time, but his restlessness of mind did notleave him. Then only a few months afterwards KazimRashti died in 1259 Hijra, and this event had aprofound effect on Ali Muhammad. He closed hisshop and returned to his native town, Shiraz.

His Initial Claim

It has been stated already that, to begin with,Sayyid Ali Muhammad only claimed that he was the

Bab, which claim was no more than that of Ahmad al-Ahsai and Kazim Rashti before him, or that of theearlier Babs. The Badasht Conference was held in1264 Hijra, and we have it on the authority ofTadhkiratul Wafa20 that till that time Ali Muhammadhad not put forth his claim that he was the expected

Imam Mahdi. It appears that he made this claim forthe first time on his return from the castle of Chihriq.This was 1264 Hijra, shortly after the BadashtConference.

In Tadhkiratul Wafa20 we have the followingpassage: "MirzaHusain Ali. mullah Muhammad Ali

Barfarushi, and Ummi Salma Qurratul Ain used tomeet at night. The declaration had not yet been madein regard to the Qaimiyyat of Sayyid Ali Muhammad,Bahaullah and mullah Barfarushi passed a resolution

20

ibid page 307.


30/111


in regard to open preaching and the abrogation of(earlier) sharias."

We learn from Al-Kawakib that when he put forththe claim that he was the Mahdi long being awaited bythe Muslims, a violent disturbance took place.21

Condition in general of the followers of Bab

With the exception of a few people, the earlyfollowers of Bab were rather narrow minded,ignorant, and prone to violent fanatical fervour. InBahaullah kiTalimat, pages 12 and 13 we read:"Those who accepted the claim of Sayyid AliMuhammad came to be known as Babis. The historyof these Babis makes extremely painful and patheticreading, for most of them were illiterate, simple,

credulous, and good at heart. In mosques and ImamBaras these people had from childhood listened todissertations on the expected advent of the InnocentImam Qaim, Al-e-Muhammad, Hadrat Mahdias inwords which stirred the heart to its depths. Now, if theBab had not been imprisoned these people would have

gone to him seeking to know and understand histeaching. But since this was not possible, on the wholethey remained ignorant of his teaching of which factthere is ample proof in their actions."

21

ibid page 397.


31/111


In Tarikh Amri-Bahai22 we read: "With the ex-ception of a very limited number no one seemed tohave really recognised the Bab, only a few havinggrasped his teaching. On the basis of that inner firewhich the common people are capable of evincingunder a strong religious impetus, the devotees, in amanner of speaking were mad after the Bab. It wastheir belief that it was binding upon them that theyshould all gather under his banner and be ready to

shed their blood so that a revival and regenerationshould take place, and all difficulties and troublesshould melt away and disappear. But they did notreally understand his teaching. Some of them evenbelieved that what was forbidden before the appear-ance of the Bab had become lawful now."

This was the condition of the Babis in the begin-ning. In regard to their end, the following passagefrom the writings of Abdul Baha Afandi would notbe without interest. "They are steeped in the darknessof superstition.23

The prominent four among Babs followersThe most prominent among Babs followers from

the earliest times were the following four mullahHusain of Bushrawaih, to whom the title of Babul Bab

22 ibid page 28.23

Khutabat Abdul Baha, volume 1, page 258.


32/111


(Gate of the Bab) was given; MirzaHusain Ali wholater came to he known as Bahaullah, of whom it issaid that when news in regard to the Bab spread, thefirst to support his claim in Teheran was Bahaullah24;mullah Muhammad Ali Barfarushi; and the daughterof mullah Salih Al-Qazwaini, Ummi Salma by name.On account of her golden hair, in some historicalrecords she is spoken of as "Zarrin Taj", meaningGolden Crown. Among the Babis she later on came to

be known as Qurratual Ain. Born about 1231 Hijra,she was married to her cousin mullah Muhammad.Under the influence of her uncle, mullah Ali, she hadearly joined the Shaikhiyya sect. Surprisinglybeautiful and intelligent, she is said to have won thetitle of Qurratul Ain from Sayyid Kazim. After the

demise of Sayyid Kazim she used to teach and instructhis disciples. At this stage she was about 30 years ofage. When Ali Muhammad claimed to be the Bab,she joined his followers.

Qurratul Ain had children from this marriage, butsince her husband and her father-in-law were not well

disposed towards the Babi movement, the relationshipbecame strained, and she gave up living with herhusband. When some friends tried to bring aboutreconciliation, she is reported to have said on one

24

Bahaullah ki Talimat, page 17.


33/111


occasion in regard to her husband: "That Khabith(unworthy and undesirable man) cannot be a propermate for a woman like me".25

Later on when mullah Taqi, her father-in-law waskilled in Qazwain. some people thought Qurratul Ainhad a hand in the affair, and some of her friends werearrested. Thanks to strenuous efforts made on herbehalf by Husain Ali (Bahaullah), she succeeded inslipping to Teheran. In those days she did not observepardah. In Nasikhul Tawarikh it is stated that shelooked upon purdah between males and females assomething reprehensible. In the circle of her friendsshe appeared without a veil, but when speaking to thecommon people she usually had one on. This roused agreat deal of unfavourable comment in Babi circles,and a question on the point was addressed to the Bab.This was during the time when the Bab was aprisoner. The Bab's verdict supported Qurratul Ain,and Sayyid Ali Bashar, the man who had raised thisquestion, was rebuked as one who was weak andshaky in belief. This answer from the Bab was not

welcomed by some among his followers, who left themovement. When the Badasht Conference was held,Qurratul Ain took up a very bold attitude. On thisoccasion she is reported to have said quite openly that

25



34/111


their time being the time offatrat26 the formerreligious laws had become null and void. (Nasi KhulTawarikh, vol. III). She was executed in 1852 forcomplicity in an attempt to raise a rebellion followingthe failure of a Babi attempt on the life of Shah Nasir-ud-Din.

Subh-e-Azal

When Babs apprehensions increased in regard to

his own life, in 1265 Hijra he appointed Mirza Yahya,at that time only 19, as his successor. This MirzaYahya among the Babis is known by the title ofSubh-e-Azal. Following the execution of the Bab, Subh-e-Azal was accepted as the Executor of the last will andtestament of the Bab, and the head of the Babi

movement. Evidence on this point is so full and soconvincing that no Bahai can afford to reject it.

Political nature and aims of the Babi movement.

It was noted earlier that from the very outset therewas an air of great secrecy about the movement,

which increased following the claim of the Bab thathe was the long awaited Mahdi. Suspicion inGovernment circles in regard to the aims of themovement was a natural result of secrecy, and thissuspicion increased with the development from day to

26

Transitional period. [Publisher]


35/111


day in the political aims of the movement. Followingthe claim of the Bab that he was the Mahdi, distur-bance took place in many places, with varying degrees

of bloodshed, culminating in the arrest of the Bab andhis imprisonment in the fortress of Maku.

In the Badasht Conference held in 1264 Hijraresolution was passed to the effect that all Babisshould converge on Maku in an organised manner, sothat all possible efforts should be made to encompassliberation of the Bab from imprisonment.27

The Babis who responded to this call have beenthus described by Bahai historians: "Most of themcarried arms and moved in bands of about twenty ormore"28.

In 1264 Hijra the Babis took possession of the fortof Tabrasi, put it in good repair and installed them-selves in it. Muhammad Shah of Iran died at aboutthis time, which greatly encouraged the Babis.

Even prior to the execution of the Bab, distur-bances had occurred in a number of places, with

clashes between the Babis and Government forces. Inplaces like Zanjan Mazandaran and Nirizthe armyhad suffered considerable losses. According to aBahai historian in one clash alone about four hundred

27Al-Kawakib, 227.28



36/111


army men were killed, of which number 35 wereofficers29. The Babi battle-cry in these clashes was"YaSahibul Zaman," which shows that Jihad hadbeen proclaimed among them.

Following the execution of the Bab, resentmentagainst the Government reached white heat among hisfollowers, of which the attempt on the life of the kingwas a result. According to Asr-e-Jadid, Urdu, page31: "August 1852 an event occurred for the Babiswhich raised such a storm that the lives of all were putinto danger. A young man, Sadiq by name, who was aBabi, was so enraged by the martyrdom of his masterthat, fired by a desire for revenge, he made an attempton the life of the king."

When and how was the ambition born to abrogatethe Islamic Sharia

For some time the followers of the Babi move-ment continued to observe the Islamic Sharia. AbdulBaha Afandi writes in connection with the BadashtConference "See how careful were the Babis insticking to Islamic habits and ritual. They were underthe impression that in this way they were striving toestablish the truth. Indeed to that day all had dependedon the Islamic Sharia, not a single injunction having

29



37/111


been changed till that time" (Tarikh Bahaullah meinMuhadathat-e-Abdul Baha, page 20)

The background of the Badasht. Conference wasthat the Bab was, in prison, while followers of themovement, generally speaking, were in great distress.Religious decrees had been issued by the ulemaagainst the Babis, and the Babi rally was designed tothink out ways and means for meeting the situation.Outcome of the conference was a resolution that anorganised and armed attempt should be made torescue the leader of the movement. On the other hand,in order to avenge themselves on the ulema, thetendency was born and accelerated that they shouldcut themselves away from Islam altogether. This step,therefore, was; for the greater part, a retaliatory

measure against the ulema: Bahaullah himself writesin Iqtidar30: "If the Muslims had not failed to yieldbelief to the claims of the movement, the IslamicSharia would not have been abrogated."

As mentioned earlier, the four who took the mostleading part in this Conference were: MirzaHusainAli, mullah Muhammad Ali, mullah HusainBushrawaih, and Ummi Salma, Qurratul Ain. Thisinner group of the leadership of the movementfrequently consulted each other, the main point under

30

Pages 47 and 48.


38/111


discussion having been that the Islamic Sharia shouldbe abrogated31. The result was that a large number ofthe Babis began to incline to this view. But a smallportion thought that there was no valid reason forabrogating the Islamic Sharia, and that no change in itcould be held, permissible32. Qurratul Ain was in thefirst group, being in fact one of its most vehementexponents. She insisted that the Bab should have asharia of his own, and that the time had come when

the Islamic law had to be changed. But the other Babileaders were extremely apprehensive that any step ofthis kind would radically displease the rank and file ofthe movement, and was likely to be repudiated bythem. Discussion continued till at last Qurratul Aincame out with a proposal that since the Islamic law

did not ordain death far a woman apostate, she wouldtake upon herself the responsibility to move the ideapublicly that the time had come when the IslamicSharia had to be abrogated and abandoned. If theproposal was well received, so far so good; but if anyvery great deal of resentment was expressed, she

would take back what she said, and the incident wouldbe closed for the time being. On a suitable occasion,when the other prominent leaders had deliberately

31Al-Kawakib, page 219.32



39/111


failed to put in an appearance, Qurratul Ain raised thequestion33.

But the people in general were staggered whenthey heard her. They took a complaint against her tomullah Muhammad Ali, who was in fact collaborat-ing with Qurratul Ain in the matter. He managed tosilence the critics, expressing his readiness to lookinto the matter carefully with Qurratul Ain. Conver-sations later took place on the point, but those whowere really deeply religious at heart began to perceivethat the whole activity was a sort of diplomatic moveto allay suspicion; and seeing this many of them wentback to their homes.

According to the well thought out schemeBahaullah intervened in the controversy, but he sidedwith Qurratul Ain. This created great resentmentamong the followers. Abdul Baha writes that at firstalmost all of them turned their backs, but later somepeople returned34. Then it was decided that for finaldecision the question should be referred to the Bab inprison. Bahai history has it that the Bab agreed withQurratul Ain and the decision to abandon the IslamicSharia was finally taken35.

33Al-Kawakib, page 221.34Tadhkirtul Wafa, page 308.35

Al-Kawakib, Page 223.


40/111


41/111


themselves Bahais attach no importance either toAl-Bayan or Al-Mustaiqaz: their sharia is embodied inAl-Aqdas, of which the author is Bahaullah.

Al-Bayan

After the decision to abrogate the Islamic Shariataken at the Badasht Conference, Ali Muhammad,Bab, started writing Al-Bayan while he was in prisonin Fort Maku. Some people think that the duration of

his imprisonment in this fortress is nine months, whileothers extend it to about a year and a half. But in anycase all agree that Al-Bayan was written during thistime, whether we take it to have extended to ninemonths or to a year and a half. Abdul Baha says thatthe Bab wrote Al-Bayan in the fort of Maku where he

was in prison36.The Bahai historian Abdul Husain confirms this

view37. No one is permitted to give any commentaryon Al-Bayan38 Bab's idea in regard to Al-Bayan wasthat he would divide it into 19 parts, with 19 chaptersin each part But he could not carry out this plan as he

had originally conceived it39. In actual fact he wrote

36Tarikh Bahaullah, page 2.37Al-Kawakib, pages 382, 405.38Bahaullah ki Talimat, page 8.39

Al-Kawakib page 406.


42/111


only eight parts complete, while of the, ninth parts hewrote only nine chapters40.

It is to be noted here with care that this is a curiouskind of sharia of which the author did not have time oran opportunity enough to complete it.

Subh-e-Azal and his book

Mirza Yahya, titled Subh-e-Azal, was half brotherfrom the fathers side of MirzaHusain Ali, whocalled himself Bahaullah and became the founder ofthe Bahai movement. The Bab, Ali Muhammad, hadappointed MirzaSubh-e-Azal as Wasi after himself,i.e., the Executor of his will, and leader of themovement founded by him. At first this position ofMirza Yahya was accepted by all followers of theBab, including MirzaHusain All. But, later MirzaHusain Ali challenged his half brother in thisposition, managed to gather the greater portion of thefollowers round him and became Bahaullah.

Mirza Yahya claimed that after the Bab he wasthe Masdar-e-Amr, source of all authority.

Bahaullah and his followers hold that he was the"man whom Allah had manifested" as foretold inAl-Bayan. But Subh-e-Azal claims this position for

40

A1-Kawakib 410.


43/111


himself. Among the old Babis, the followers of Subhi-e-Azal came to be called Azalis.

Al-Mustaiqaz, the book written by Subh-e-Azal asthe new sharia following the abrogation ofAl-Bayan,was ignored by Bahaullah, who has accused thefollowers ofSubh-e-Azal that they had taken theirleader as their God41.

Some salient points of the sharia of Al-Bayan

The sharia embodied by Bahaullah in Al-Aqdaswill be discussed at a stage when we come to adetailed study of Bahaullah and his claims. But apassing reference to some salient points of the shariaof Al-Bayan seems advisable:

1.The Bab has directed that no follower of hisshould read any book other than Al-Bayan42.2.The Bab has directed that all books other than

those written by him should be destroyed43.

3.The Babi sharia directs that all who did not acceptthis sharia should be put to death44.

4.The principle has been laid down that all Babiswere pure people, while all those who failed to

41Majmua-e-Aqdas, page 125.42Wahid4, Bab 10.43Al-Munazirat, page 167.44

Makatib, Volume 2, page 266.


44/111


45/111


in his realm. This is also binding upon the otherBabis as well. The only non-Babi who could beallowed to live in the country was one who carried

on some trade of benefit for other people47.

8.It is ordained in the Babi sharia that any one whohurts the feelings of the Bab, or his successorsafter him, was to be killed; and for bringing abouthis death every possible means could beadopted48.

9.Just as the use of intoxicants is forbidden,similarly the use of medicines also is prohibited.

History of the Bahai Movement

MirzaHusain Ali, Bahaullah, was born in Tehe-ran on November 12, 1817, fathers name being MirzaAbbas Nuri. It is said that the Qachari kings used toselect their ministers and advisers from this family,which originally came from Nur in the district ofMazandran*. According to Bahai sources, Bahaullahwas not educated in any school or college. His fatherpassed away when he was only 22. Five years afterthis Bahaullah joined the Babi movement. In 1844when he put forth his claim he was 27 years of age. In

47Bab 4, Wahid8.48Al-Bayan 15, Bab Wahid6.* Here z is pronounced as 'su' in the English word pleasure. In Persian it is

written as .


46/111


collaboration with Qurratul Ain, he was the man whodevised the plan to abandon the Islamic Sharia, aresolution to this effect having been passed at the

Badasht Conference, as mentioned earlier. In, 1850when the Bab was executed while he had not yet hadtime to complete the new sharia, MirzaHusain Aliwas greatly shocked and upset. But he immediatelybusied himself in schemes to carry out the intention ofthe Badasht resolution.

Bahaullahs Schemes after Execution of the Bab

While Bahaullah was still deep in devising hisplans some Babis made an attempt on the life of theking, but failed. Bahaullah was among those arrestedin this connection. He remained in prison for four

months, of which the effect on his mind may begauged from his own words: "During the period ofimprisonment, on account of hardship caused by thechains in which I was kept, and the foul air of the cell,I could get very little sleep. But sometimes when sleepdid come, it seemed as if something were falling from

my head on my breastlike a big stream falling downfrom the top of a hill. This resulted in a peculiarfeeling, as if a tire were burning in all my limbsDuring such moments words and passages came onmy lips of such stupendous, awful import that I do not


47/111


think there is any one in this world who could bear tohear."49

As to what were his thoughts during these sleep-less hours in the prison cell, Bahaullah himself hastold us "Day and night in prison I used to review theactions of the Babis and the conditions under whichthey were living and felt greatly pained by the factthat in spite of the lofty position in view of theirmission, and their high intelligence and thoroughgrasp, they were guilty of such an act as daringly tomake an attempt on the life of the king. One result ofthis contemplation was that on being released fromprison I would make the utmost effort to educate andcivilize the followers of the movement. One night Iheard the following voice in a vision, and the same

voice and words seemed to be coming from all sides:"Indeed we shall help thee with thy pen. Do not beafraid"50.

In view of this it would not be very far wrong toconclude that following the execution of the Bab, thethoughts of MirzaHusain Ali were full of the urgentneed for some man of calibre to assume leadership ofthe movement, and that in his own mind he feltconvinced that he himself was the man for the task.

49Lauhi ibni Dhaib Urdu, page 17.50

ibid page 16.


48/111


49/111


altogether and start a new religion, he dissembledbefore the Government of the country, pretended to,be a Shia, and obtained a passport to go abroad on the

plea that he desired to visit the sacred places of theShias in Iraq.

In any case he reached Iraq in Muharram, 1269Hijra.

Opposition from Subh-e-Azal.

Another reason why Bahaullah decided to leaveIran was most probably the presence in the country ofMirza Yahya, Subh-e-Azal, who had been installed inthe position of leader of the movement by the Babhimself some time before he was executed. He mayhave thought that in Baghdad he would be in a

position to work more freely, in view of the difficul-ties his rival might create for him in case he stayed inIran and tried to work from a base in that country.

It appears, however, that Mirza Yahya, too, wasfully aware of the surcharged atmosphere in Iran. Nordoes he seem to have failed to perceive that byinstalling himself in Iraq his rival had managed tosecure greater freedom. He, therefore, himselfmanaged to move into Iraq and settle in Baghdad, asBahaullah had done53.

53

BabulHayat, page 56.


50/111


Bahaullah goes to Sulaimaniyyah

After a period of bickering between the two for

one year, Bahaullah moved to Sulaimaniyyah inKurdistan. For some light on this struggle between thetwo rivals reference should be made to ProfessorBrowne in Muqaddamah Nuqtatul Qaf.

During this period before he came to Baghdad asecond time, Bahaullah, it appears, was in contact

with some Naqshbandi people, of which some trace isdiscernible in his later writings. One Bahai historianhas opined that during this period of two yearsBahaullah was mentally preparing himself for theposition he subsequently claimed for himself54.

Return to Baghdad from Sulaimaniyyah

But on his return to Baghdad he found the sameold trouble on his hands from his rival. As one wayout, he tried to procure the return ofSubh-e-Azal toIran. Bahaullah himself writes: "It was decided thatMirza Yahya should go to Iran with these documentsand try to propagate them in that country"55.

Mirza Yahya, however, did not fall into this trap,and stayed on in Iraq, close on the heels of his rival.

54Tarikh Amr-e-Bahai, page 30.55

Lauhi ibni Dhaib, Urdu, page 112.


51/111


In 1278 Hijra, during his stay in Baghdad, Ba-haullah wrote Iqan, in which his approach is that of adisciple of the Bab. As mentioned earlier, he was,however, preparing himself mentally for a claimsuperior to that of the Bab, but based initially on aprophecy which the Bab appears to have made inregard to Whom Allah would manifest". This claimhad obtained possession of his mind, but he was alsohesitant in putting it forth from fear that followers of

the movement may not take kindly to it.

Another significant fact connected with his stay inBaghdad is that after some time the Government ofIran began to receive unfavourable reports concerningthe activities of Bahaullah, and Teheran began tourge upon the Turkish Government that he should be

moved from Baghdad to some other place where hemay not be in a position to do any harm to theinterests of the Government of Iran. These representa-tions obtained favourable consideration from theTurkish Government, with the result that it wasdecided to move Bahaullah to Constantinople. This

development had this immediate effect on Bahaullahthat the claim which he had been deliberately holdingback, waiting for some favourable moment to make it,he now went ahead in putting it forth. Anothercircumstance which also might have helped him inthis direction was that some followers of the Bab had


52/111


53/111


caravan was received with much respect and lodged asguests of the Government, then soon moved intobigger accommodation, the first having proved

inadequate for the large number of members of theparty58.

In Constantinople the party remained for aboutfour months during which time the struggle betweenMirza Yahya, Subh-e-Azal, and MirzaHusain AliBahaullah became more acute than ever, and theTurkish Government moved them all to Adrana(Adrianople). They reached this place in December1863. Among the Bahais Adrana is known by thename ofArdul Sirr. The unpleasantness and strugglebetween the two rivals continued here as well.

After five years in Adrana, during which time thestruggle between the two rivals had continuedunabated, MirzaHusain Ali publicly put forth hisclaim which towards the end of his stay in Baghdad hehad announced privately in the presence of someselect friends only. His claim was that he was theleader in regard to whom there was a prophecy inAl-Bayan59.

Hashmatullah Bahai writes: "Left without aleader, when the Babis reached a very sad state,

58BabulHayat, page 92.59

Prof. Browne in Muqaddamah Nuqtatul Qaf.


54/111


Bahaullah in Adrana declared that the man in regardto whom the Bab had given glad tidings, and forwhose sake he had sacrificed his own life, was he

(MirzaHusain Ali himself): that Man Yuzhiruhullahuwas his own title, and that of no one else. Thisdeclaration at first stunned most people, but graduallyhis claim was accepted by all Babis: and from thattime those who yielded belief to Bahaullah came tobe known as Bahais60.

There is no evidence in Bahai records that thisclaim on the part of MirzaHusain Ali was in any waybased on light or commandment from Allah.

Departure for Akka

With the advancement of this claim on the part of

MirzaHusain Ali, relations between him and Subh-e-Azal deteriorated still further, and it began to appearas if it was impossible that both should live at peace inthe same town. In Asr-e-Jadidwe read: "In Adranahe generally proclaimed that he was the expectedmanifestation, to which a large part of the Babis

yielded belief; but a small group under Mirza Yahyaput up bitter opposition, and went over to join theShias, the old enemies of the Babi movement. Thisquarrel continued to grow more and more bitter every

60

Bahaullah kiTalimat, pages 19 and 20.


55/111


day, until the Turkish Government sent Bahaullahand his friends to Akka, while Mirza Yahya was sentto Cyprus, This happened in August 31, 1868"61.

When Bahaullah reached Akka, his party com-prised 72 members. Since the Turkish Governmenthad some suspicions in regard to the Babis in general,it took this precaution that in the group of Bahaullahfour Azalis (followers ofSubh-e-Azal) were included,while four followers of Bahaullah were put in Subh-e-Azals party. Professor Browne has given the namesof these eight men, and added that of these four theBahais poisoned one even before they had left forAkka, and the remaining three were disposed of insimilar manner after reaching Akka. Mirza NasrullahTafrashi was the name of the man poisoned beforeleaving for Akka "After reaching Akka the remain-ing three were killed by the Bahais in one night"62.

Following these murders, the Turkish Governmentfor a brief period brought a hard hand to bear upon theBahais, but they managed to bribe some of thecorrupt officials and obtained a considerable measureof facilities locally63, so that they were not subjectedto any restrictions.

61Asr-e-Jadid, Urdu, page 37.62Muqaddamah Nuqtatul Kaf.63

Al-Babiyun fit Tarikh, page 22.


56/111


Was Bahaullah a prisoner in Akka?

Some Bahai historians have sought to create an

impression that Bahaullah was in Akka as aprisoner. For instance Hashmatulah says: "From 1868to 1892 Hadrat Bahaullah remained in prison inAkka, and after forty years in prison, he died at theage of 75, in a garden about a mile outside Akka"64."Now even if we assume that all the time he was inAkka he was being held as a prisoner, even then from1868 to 1892 makes 24 years at the most, in no caseforty. But it is altogether wrong to say that at AkkaBahaullah was treated as a prisoner. From what weknow of the circumstances of his life in Akka, we cansay that the word prisoner was never applicable tohim. Abdul Baha himself admits that thoughtechnically Bahaullah may be said to have been inAkka, yet it was a confinement during which he wastreated with great honour, never as a commonprisoner65. In regard to the early years which theBahais describe as prison, Bahaullahs son, AbdulBaha himself says: "Hadrat Bahaullah was aprisoner only in name, for the orders of Sultan AbdulAziz were never formally cancelled. But in fact in hislife and behaviour be showed such dignity that all

64Talimat, page 22.65

KhitabatAbdul Baha, volume 1, page 144.


57/111


rendered him great respect and thought very highly ofhim. The Governor of Palestine used to envy hisposition of respect and his influence. The Governor,

Mutasarrif, generals, and prominent officers requestedinterviews with considerable humility, and even thesewere seldom granted"66.

Even before the long period of his life spent inBhajah, the treatment given to him was such thatAbdul Baha says: "In spite of the harsh order ofSultan Abdul Aziz, which did not permit me to seehim, I presented myself at the door in a carriage; andtaking him with me I went to the palace (garden ofMuhammad Pasha and the bungalow) and no one triedto stop me. I left him there, and returned to the townmyself. He remained in this beautiful and lovely place

for two years. Then it was decided that he should goto Bhajah"67.

On the same page Abdul Baha describes life inBhajah in the following words: "At that place the.doors of grandeur and majesty were opened on him."The reason for the great courtesy and leniency shownby the local authorities was: "On account of the largenumber of presents received from his followers he had

66Asr-e-Jadid, Urdu page 44.67

Asr-e-Jadid, page 44.


58/111


big sums of money, at his disposal, which he spentjust as he deemed fit"68.

Here it is also to be remembered that Bahaullahalso received considerable amounts from the TurkishGovernment for his maintenance. Abdul Bahaadmits this as well. "For the maintenance ofBahaullah and Azal the Government made verycomfortable arrangements"69.

The story that Bahaullah lived in Akka as aprisoner and a persecuted man is pure invention madeto suit the needs of their propaganda designed tocreate sympathy for Bahaullah and the Bahaimovement.

Life at Akka

In Akka, when he found the atmosphere favour-able for the purpose, MirzaHusain Ali began toimplement the scheme he had worked out carefully,but which had suffered a set-back in the execution ofthe Bab, a scheme of which the central point was toabandon the Islamic Sharia. The Babis believe that ifthe Bab had not been executed so soon after theBadasht Conference, he would have succeeded inabrogating the Islamic Sharia. Allah gave a long life

68Asr-e-Jadid, Arabic, page 45.69

Maqalah Sayyah, Arabic, page 68.


59/111


to Bahaullah, and this man also had some amplemeans for the task he had planned for himself. Fromthe time he arrived in Iraq, to the time of his death

(1269 to 1309 Hijra), for full forty years he livedamong the Arabs. In spite of this the new sharia whichhe embodied in Aqdas stands as a living proof offailure in the task of producing a better book than theHoly Quran. In fact Aqdas is so faulty that theBahais up to this day have never dared to bring it into

the open. It is not available in the market. In fact it hasnever been published, for it is guarded as somethingsecret which should not be allowed to fall into thehands of anyone except the close inner circle of a fewpeople.

In regard to the daily pursuits of Bahaullah atAkka, Asr-e-Jadidsays "The greater part of his timewas spent in prayer and devotion, contemplation, instudy of the sacred books, in the nazulof the Alwahand in improving the moral tone and the spiritualeducation of friends and followers"70.

From the words sacred books and Alwah in thispassage are meant those dissertations, answers toqueries, or letters which Bahaullah dictated, sinceaccording to the Bahai view every word and writingof Bahaullah, is an Ilham (inspiration). In other

70

Asr-e-Jadid, Urdu, page 46.


60/111


words these books did not descend on Bahaullah, butBahaullah sent them down on his disciple. At the endofIqan we read the following words 'descended fromBahaullah'.71

Bahaullah's last will and testament in regard to

his successor.

The Bahais say that two years before his deathBahaullah wrote his will, which is called Kitab Ahdiand entrusted it to Abdul Baha. This document hasbeen reproduced in the book of Bahai history entitledAl-Kawakibul Durriyah. Bahaullah had written inAqdas that after his death the authority would lie withhis two sons. In his will also he wrote: "Indeed wehave chosen the Akbar after the Azam", i.e., Mirza

Muhammad Ali, the younger son after the elderson72.

It is to be noted here that Mirza Muhammad Alidoes not hold this will to be correct, nor do hisfriends. And it is also surprising that Abdul Bahaalso failed to entrust leadership to his younger brother

after his own time, but proceeded to install his owngrandson, ShauqiAfandi in that position. In any caseit stands proved that the last will and testament

71 Descended from al-Bai wal Hai (i.e. BahaullahIqan, page 216).72

Al-Kawakibul Durriyah, Persian, volume II, page 22.


61/111


dictated by the Alim and Khabir (Bahaullahs God)was cancelled and disobeyed by his own eldest son.

Aqdas, book of the new sharia of the Bahais.The Bahais claim that the sharia compiled by

Bahaullah and embodied in his book entitled Aqdas isthe best among sacred and heavenly scriptures; andthat the solution for all the world problems ofmankind lies, in this book. Abul Fadal, a Bahai

missionary writes: "Bahaullah has compiled a shariawithout which the task of reformation and civilizingthe people is impossible and unreasonable to expect.Aqdas is the greatest and the best remedy for the illsof mankind, and for attracting the human heart it is themost powerful magnet73.

Bahai Attitude in Regard to Publication of this

Book.

In view of this claim it is not possible for anysensible person to believe that the Bahais to this dayhave never plucked up courage enough to make the

book public by publishing it for the benefit of all whomight wish to study it, irrespective of the fact whetherhe was a Bahai or not. There are any number ofBahais who have never seen this book, much lessread it. Such being the case, the question as to how far

73

Al-Faraid, page 13.


62/111


the Bahais observe the sharia embodied in this bookdoes not even appear to arise, for how can anyoneobserve a sharia who never in his life catches even a

passing glimpse of the book in which it is embodied.Most members of the Bahai movement would appearto have joined it merely on hearsay. And when areasonable person comes to think of the matter, thereappears to be no earthly reason why the Bahaisshould behave in such an extraordinary manner in

regard to a book which they believe is the crowningglory of their faith, and the salvation of mankind. Thisquestion was raised before the Bahais in Egypt andPalestine by missionaries of the Ahmadiyyahmovement on many occasions; but each time it wasmet with a stony silence, or transparent evasion, pure

and simple. Prohibiting the Bahais from publishingthe Aqdas, or from making it public in any other way,the foremost leader of the movement after Bahaullah,his own son Abdul Baha, writes: "IfAqdas ispublished, it would spread and fall into the hands ofmean and hostile people. Therefore it is not permissi-

ble that it should be printed. Some irreligious andshaky people like Mirza Mahdi Beig succeeded ingetting a copy into their hands, and this has beenpublished. But since this book has been published injournals of the mulhidin (heretics), the people ingeneral have been able to form some idea of the


63/111


enmity they bear in their hearts. What they saytherefore, is unreliable and their statements meaning-less and confused. But if the Bahais themselves wereto bring out the book, then it would be a differentmatter"74.

In regard to Aqdas, Maulana Abul Ata, a well-known divine and missionary of the Ahmadiyyahmovement, writes in his BahaiTahrik par Tabsirah:"From 1931 to 1936 I have been in Palestine, Syria,Iraq and Egypt. In Haifa I twice met the present leaderof the Bahais, namely, ShauqiAfandi. In the courseof my interview on June 7, 1933, I requested that I beallowed to have a look at Aqdas. He told me clearlythat he did not happen to have a copy with him, butthat I might find it in Iraq. After that, with a great deal

of endeavour, I succeeded in obtaining a copy througha friend, and had it printed at the Ahmadiyyah press inKababir, Jablul Karmal. In 1938, when I was inBombay, on June 9 and 10, in the Bahai Hall, in thepresence of the local president of the Bahai move-ment, I obtained an opportunity to compare the copy

with me with the copy which happened to have beenmade available for me for consultation at that place.On this occasion I also showed my own copy to the

74

Jawab Namah Jamaat Bahai, page 37, printed in Egypt 1338 Hijra.


64/111


Bahais there, which they confirmed to be genuineafter having a look at it."

Maulana Abul Ata has reproduced the entireAqdas in his book of the title above mentioned, withthis challenge that if anyone proved his copy to bewrong or faulty, he would be prepared to give a prizeto the person who did so. And interestingly enoughthe prize so far has remained unclaimed.


65/111


COMPARISON BETWEEN THE

ISLAMIC AND THE BAH

SHARIHS

There can be no Comparison Between the Holy

Quran and Aqdas

About thirteen hundred years ago Allah Almightysent down the Holy Quran as a complete andcomprehensive Sharia, the most clear and vigorousscripture and the best code for all mankind. At thesame time a claim to this effect was advanced in theHoly Book itself "If all mankind, their big and small,were to come together, aiming to produce anotherbook like it, they shall never have the power to do so,

even though some of them might become the helpersof others in the task"75.

The basis of this claim is explained in the nextverse as follows: "We have fully explained for thepeople in this Quran all that pertains to their goodand well being."76

This challenge of the Holy Quran has never beentaken up by anyone in the East or the West, and itstands even today. Attempts here and there in history

75 17:89.76

17:90.


66/111


have been made by some people to produce books ofsharia to match the Holy Quran, but all such attemptsstand in human history as ghastly failures. From

Musailmah Kadhdhab this story extends to people likeAli Muhammad Bab and MirzaHusain AliBahaullah. People try to put out the Light of Allahwith the breath of their mouths, but Allah is deter-mined fully to fulfil its purpose, however much theunbelievers might dislike it.

The book entitled Aqdas which Bahaullah pro-duced to replace and supersede the Holy Quran inArabic; and according to a Christian writer, KhaduriIlyas, he had desired to produce something superior tothe Holy Quran. But its language, throughout, isextremely unimpressive, in places entirely wrong.

Although Bahaullah appears to have made an attemptto capture the style of the Holy Book, he has alto-gether failed even as an imitator.

The clumsy, unimpressive style of expression andwrong grammar and usage apart, in point of substanceand subject matter, there is all the less possibility ofany valid and justifiable comparison between the twobooks. We give below the following rather detailedbut brief study.

And all other things apart, Bahaullahs own sonsand successors appear to have felt their weakness onthis point. In regard to Mirza Muhammad Ali, the


67/111


younger son, we read in Bahai history: "The sons ofBahaullah have spread the idea among the followersof other religions that their father had not claimed to

be a prophet in his own position and right, nor did hecompile any new sharia. Rather, he was a WaliandQutab, and he always followed the Islamic Sharia. Butof course our brother Abbas Afandi has raisedanother fraud, and laid the foundation of anothersharia"77.

This shows that with the exception of AbbasAfandi all sons of Bahaullah gave out that their fatherwas a follower of the Islamic Sharia They also saidthat he had made no new sharia, which plainly meansthat Aqdas in their estimation also could in no way becompared to the Holy Quran,, When Maulana AbulAta interviewed Muhammad Ali in Bhajah, he hadsaid that, as in Islam, he prayed five times a day.

As for Abdul Baha Abbas Afandi, in 1338 Hijrahe decreed that it was not permitted that Aqdas shouldbe printed and published. (Jawab NamahJamaatpage 37) This shows that inside his heart he knewquite well that this book had no chance when it camein comparison with the Holy Quran. And allmembers of the Bahai movement, by failing topublish it, seem to prove by their action that they in

77

Al-Kawakib, Persian, volume 11, page 31.


68/111


fact feel so ashamed over it that they cannot evenpluck up courage to make it public.

The Bahai sharia is in Three PartsThe Bahai sharia can be divided into three parts.

Matters and questions pertaining to early stages ofcivilization and culture, which mainly compriseprinciples which mankind in general already believein and tries to live by, as for instance that superfluous

growth of nails should be removed: to sit on a chair orstool is more convenient than sitting on the ground:one should wear clean clothes, etc., there being noneed for us to go into details over such questions. Butit is to be noted even here that wherever Bahai ismhas tried to make a departure from Islam, the attempt

has produced ridiculous or ugly substitutes forprinciples laid down by Islam. Things which havebeen copied down or imitated by Bahaullah from theHoly Quran in these he has tried to make someamendments on the basis of his own intellect, but inall such cases he has only made a mess, without

making the least contribution to the progress ofmankind. A notable thing in this connection is thatBahaullah appears to have a gravely faulty idea inregard to the attributes of the Divine Being, forinvariably the wrong attributes are invoked or referredto in the wrong places. The substance of a passage and


69/111


the Divine attributes in its connection do not appear tohave any affinity at all. This is a quality ofAqdaswhich no discerning reader will fail to notice. The

third part, which really is the body of the Bahaisharia, comprises only a few principles.

Below we set down some of the main characteris-tic features of the Bahai sharia

1.According to the Bahai sharia, religion hasnothing to do with politics. Therefore the Bahaisharia gives no guidance with regard to principleson which the politics and administration of a coun-try should be based. Bahaullah says: "By Allah,we intend no interference in your countries, hav-ing come only for changing the hearts". This pas-sage Abdul Baha has tried to explain as follows:"Religion has nothing to do with political matters.Religion concerns itself with the soul and its per-ception."78

2.In the Bahai sharia all things have been held pure(Aqdas 161,162). According to this principle the

flesh of animals like pigs and swine is regarded asfit for human consumption, this being the reasonwhy in regard to pork and bacon there is no othermention as to whether their use is permitted or not.

78

Khitabat, volume 1, page 176.


70/111


Ali Muhammad Bab prohibited smoking79. ButBahaullah himself indulged in it80. On the basisof this principle, the Bahai sharia makes no dis-tinction between articles of food and drink fit forhuman consumption and those not fit, as in thecase of the Islamic Sharia. Abdul Baha has fur-ther clarified this point: "Some Western friendsrequested a code for use by American Bahais inthe matter of articles of diet. Abdul Baha replied

that in the matter of material food he did not wishto interfere: they were free to eat what they liked.We interfere only in the case of spiritual food81.

3.In the matter of dress, males are permitted to usesilken garments82. There are no restrictions in thematter of dress83. In regard to growing a beard or

shaving it, all restrictions have been removed83.But in no case is man to shave off his head, sincethe hair on the head are a decoration84. There is nopermission for eating out of gold and silver plates,

79Al-Risalatul Tisa Ashariyya, page 109.80Makatib Abdul Baha, Volume 1, page 327.81BadaulAthar, Safar namahAbdul Baha, Volume 1, page 23.82Aqdas 22.83Aqdas 344.84

Aqdas 101.


71/111


72/111


7.No one is permitted to marry more than twowives90, though Bahaullah himself had three. ButAbdul Baha has given out in the West that theBahai sharia allows only monogamy. On thisbasis it is written in Asr-e-Jadid91 that Bahai ismforbids polygamy.

The Bahai historian writes: "It is to be remem-bered that the Bahai religion does not upholdpolygamy, although in Aqdas a male is permitted tohave two wives, but justice in that case would bebinding as a condition. And Abdul Baha, who is therightful commentator of the book, has said that sincethe dealing out of justice among ones spouses isimpossible, one should be content with only onewife"92.

Further it is to be noted that in this statementMirza Abdul Husain has made a manifest misstate-ment, for in Aqdas the permission to have two wivesis not conditional on the dealing out of equal justice inthe case of the two wives.

By pronouncing judgment that the dealing out ofequal justice is not possible, Abdul Baha has provedvirtually that, in his opinion in any case, and in the

90Aqdas 130.91Arabic, page 174.92

Al-Kawakib, Persian, Volume II, page 9.


73/111


74/111


It is interesting to compare the punishments pre-scribed for murder by mistake, which is one hundredmisqals of gold, while according to Bab for injuringthe feeling of another person the penalty is nineteenmisqals of gold.

In other words, fornication is a much minor of-fence as compared with murder by mistake or injuringthe feelings of another person. Further it is be notedthat anyone who burns down the dwelling of anotherdeserves to be burnt alive.

9.Following in the footsteps of the Bab, Bahaullahhas prescribed that there should be nineteenmonths in a year (Aqdas 269).

10.In the sharia manufactured by him, Bahaullah hasmade some attempt to remove the defects whichare to be found in the sharia prepared by the Bab,although in one place he has said of himself thathe himself was responsible for the descent ofAl-Bayan, which would seem to mean that heclaims the book was written under inspiration

from himself93

. Of the errors which Bahaullahhas sought to remove, four may be mentioned byway of example: (a) the Bab had ordered that allbooks other than Al-Bayan were to be destroyed.But in the opinion of the Bahais this order of the

93

Majmua Aqdas, page 90.


75/111


Bab can become the root of great conflict in theworld, and Bahaullah has cancelled it; he haswritten that Allah had forgiven them for what had

been written in Al-Bayan in regard to the destruc-tion of all other books94. (b) The Bab wrote thatthe penalty for injuring the feelings of another isnineteen misqals of gold. But Bahaullah has saidthat in his time Allah had cancelled it. (c)Bahaullah says it was forbidden in Al-Bayan for

any one to ask any question in regard to it, butAllah had cancelled the order95. (d) Another inter-esting case is furnished by the following words ofBahaullah: "Allah had ordained that every oneshould present himself in the august presence withhis most precious thing as a gift, but as a sign of

grace we have cancelled this order96.11.Out of the penalties prescribed by Bahaullah for

various offences, the one for fornication has beenmentioned, while for a person who burnt down thedwelling of another there are two penalties: that heshould be burnt alive, or sent into prison for life97.

The penalty in case of theft has been set down inthe following words: exile in the case of the first

94Aqdas 166.95Aqdas 267.96Aqdas 245.97

Aqdas 129.


76/111


offence: imprisonment in case of a second of-fence: and some mark to be burnt on the foreheadfor a third offence by which all should be able to

know him for what he is98.

The penalty for assault and battering is still moreinteresting. It is written that for battering the penaltywould depend on the kind and intensity of the blowsdealt, of which details were to be given later99. Butthey have not been given to date, which seems tomean that the sharia after all is still incomplete.

12.Bahaullah has made most orders dependent onthe institution of the House of Justice. He hasprescribed that the properties of the heirlessshould come to the House of Justice (54 and 52).But the fact remains that this House of Justice hasnot come into existence to this day.

13.All the revealed world religions have been strivingto establish the Unity of God. But Bahaullahclaimed divinity for himself, as would be shown atanother place in this treatise. In regard to the Qib-

la, Bahaullah has directed that during his lifetimethe Bahais should offer their prayers with theirfaces turned towards him, or in his direction.Afterwards the Qibla would be the place where he

98Aqdas 102.99

Aqdas 122.


77/111


might meet his end. Prayers then were to be of-fered facing his tomb or grave (14, 15, 292).

An interesting question here would be in whichdirection did he turn his own face when saying hisprayers? Or would it be wrong to conclude here thathimself he never took the trouble to offer any?

It is also to be remembered that, since his death,the Bahais actually say their prayers facing in the

direction of his grave in Akka100

.The Bahais prostrate themselves in sajdah, at his

grave.

14.The changes made in the Islamic mode of prayerare also a notable feature of the Bahai sharia.Bahaullah has prescribed nine rakats for morn-

ing, afternoon and evening (13). Then he has saidthat details of prayers he had given in anotherpaper (19). But it is to be remembered that thisdetail is nowhere to be met with. To this day thereis a difference of opinion among the Bahais inregard to their being nine rakats or not. Simply

for the sake of taking a different stand than that ofIslam Bahaullah has forbidden any prayer inconnection with the eclipse of the sun or the moon(27), and he has prescribed six takbirs for thefuneral prayer. Besides, he has declared that

100

Durusul Dayana, page 24.


78/111


prayer in congregation had been deemed unneces-sary, except in the case of the funeral prayer. Allother prayers were to be offered singly, in contrast

with Islam where the five obligatory prayers areheld binding to be said preferably in congregation,except in specified cases when they could beoffered singly by each individual.

15.With regard to fasting Bahaullah has taken thisnew stand that whereas the Islamic calendar beinglunar, the month of fasting went all round the year,passing through all seasons, the Bahai month offasting has only nineteen days, and comes alwaysin the same season. The second departure he hasmade from it is that in Islam those who happen tobe on a journey during the period of fasting, or

who happen to be ill, have to make up later. But inthe sharia of Bahaullah they are not called uponto make up the deficiency (42). Moreover inBahai fasting all that is needed is that one shouldnot eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset.The early meal before dawn is not necessary, nor

is one required to refrain from sexual intercoursebetween man and wife during the time they arefasting.

16.The Hajj (pilgrimage to the Kabah) is heldbinding in Islam on all Muslims who have themeans and health for the journey. In contrast with


79/111


this Bahaullah has laid down two pilgrimages forhis followers: one to the house of Bab in Shriaz,the other to Bahaullahs own house in Baghdad

17.Bahaullah has made a departure from Islam in thematter ofZakat. He had laid down that one whopossessed a hundred misqals of gold should givenineteen misqals to God (210). In another placehe has said "Zakatis obligatory for you on allgrains and other things". This order has been givenby him who has sent down the Ayatin strongparchment. In the near future, if God wills, weshall set down details in this behalf (314).Bahaullah died long ago, but these details stillremain to be set down.

It is also to be carefully noted that the wording ofthe passage above referred to shows conclusively thatBahaullah composed this sharia entirely on his own,not on the basis of any Revelation orwahifrom Allah.

Further it is to be noted that during his lifeBahaullah kept the control of properties of the

movement in his own hand, leaving it in the hands ofhis sons after his death; and it was only after the deathof these sons that anyone else was to have a say intheir management and control (98). Evidently, in thisway he turned financial resources of the movementinto a family concern for the benefit of his own personand then of his heirs.


80/111


The income from Zakatis public property in Is-lam. In addition, individuals spend on the poor incharity according to their means and noble impulse.

Islam has discouraged begging, but if someone resortsto it in distress, Islam does not absolutely forbid it. Infact it has ordained on the rich and directed them thatthe poor too have share in their wealth: But while onthe one hand Bahaullah strengthened his own hold onpublic properties, he forbade that help be extended to

any needy person, "From whomsoever anyone begs, itis not permissible for him to give anything to thebeggar" (315).

For the well-to-do Bahaullah directs that theyshould be laid to rest in costly boxes of crystal andexpensive woods, and silken clothes (270, 279).

18.Bahaullah has remained silent about intoxicatingdrinks. Also about pork and bacon. But he hastwice written opium is forbidden (233, 409).While ignoring questions of such great impor-tance, he sometimes astounds the intelligent readerwith fuss over trifles (331).

19.Bahaullah has directed that it is the duty of everyBahai that he keeps his home well decorated (64).The second point in this connection is that everynineteen years he is to change all the furnishings(328), and it would be interesting to find out, ifone could, how far the Bahais act upon this ad-


81/111


vice tendered as a principle in the Sharia. Surpris-ingly enough, Bahaullah has not indicated whatwas to be done with the old furnishings. Also in

the same breath he has said that in case the peoplecould not observe this principle, Allah wouldforgive them (329).

To lay down a principle in one breath and then tocancel it in the next is a peculiarity of the Bahaisharia.

20.On the point ofmahar(alimony) in marriages,Bahaullah has ordained that it is to be nineteenmisqals of gold in all cases, whether of peopleliving in towns or in the countryside. This seemsto be extremely unreasonable and impolitic, for allare not of the same standard of means. There aremany people in the world for whom this maharistoo much. Are such people to remain celibatebecause they cannot afford the maharprescribed ?

21.The rules laid down by Bahai sharia in regard todivision of property of the deceased among his

heirs is altogether arbitrary. It does not seem to bebased on any principle, except that departureshave been made from the Islamic Shariadepartures which seem to have brought no addi

babi and bahai

Documents