Baha’i Belief and Courtesy: Baha’u’llah Refers to Those that Deny Him as Animals, Pigs, Donkeys, Dogs, and Bastards

Created: 16 October 2014 Last Updated: 28 September 2015

Courtesy and politeness are moral and ethical values that all true Prophets andmessengers of God advocate and abide too. Baha’is claim that their leader Baha’u’llah,has put a great emphasis on this topic and cite quotes from him such as:

“O people of God! I admonish you to observe courtesy, for above all else it isthe prince of virtues. Well is it with him who is illumined with the light ofcourtesy and is attired with the vesture of uprightness. Whoso is endued withcourtesy hath indeed attained a sublime station.” (Baha’u’llah, Tablets ofBaha’u’llah Revealed After the Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 88)

The question is: was Baha’u’llah a courteous man himself and referred to other peoplewith courtesy and politeness?

1- Instances where Baha’u’llah refers to his deniers as donkeys

Baha’u’llah refers to those who denied him and his enemies as pigs, donkeys, and dogs.He calls the followers of the Bab who refused to acknowledge him donkeys:

« حق آنچه بفرماید حق است و بکلمات مشرکین باطل نشود الحمیر یا ایهاقل »

“Say, Oh you donkey! Whatever God says is the truth and will not becomevoid by the words of the polytheists (deniers of Baha’ism).” (Baha’u’llah,Kitab-i badi`, p. 174)

There are numerous other instances where he refers to other people using the samederogatory term. In another case, he gives a Baha’i the following advice and insultsMuslim scholars by calling them donkeys with large turbans:

ضض حمیر» لل مبغ «احفظ نفسک بان ل یقللبک کبر العمائم من ک

“Protect yourself so that from the donkey enemies, those with large turbansdo not turn you away from (Baha'ism)...” (Baha’u’llah, Athar-i Qalam-i A`la,vol. 2, no. 83, p. 504)

In another instances he tells one of his deniers:

لطلعت باصل المر» «قل النک انت یا حمیر ما ا

“Say: verily you, you donkey, have not attained the truth regarding thismatter” (Baha’u’llah, Athar-i Qalam-i A`la, vol. 2, no. 86, p. 544)

He tells the same person that he has been turned into a donkey by Bah’au’llah’s spirit:

« الللیالی و الیام و وسوس النا حفظناه و رلبیناه و وصفناه و اذکرناه ... نعلم ما عللمک ابیک فى الحمیر قل یا ایهالل ضن و یصیر فى صدرک و نفخ فیک من روحى اللىتى بها ینقلب ک حمیرا انسا »

"Say, Oh you donkey! We protected him and nurtured him and praised him and remembered him… we know what your father taught you in the nights and days. He whispered into your breast and blew into you from my spirit that transforms all men into donkeys." (Baha’u’llah, Athar-i Qalam-i A`la, vol.2, no. 86, p. 542-3)

2- Instances where Baha’u’llah refers to his deniers as animals and dogs

Baha’u’llah would frequently call his deniers and enemies animals. Pay attention to thefollowing quotes:

“Encompassed as I am at this time by the dogs of the earth and the beasts ofevery land, concealed as I remain in the hidden habitation of Mine innerBeing.” (Baha’u’llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 4)

لن شأنکم هذا» «یا مل المشرکین لو تفىتخرون بابقاء اسمکم بین اللدواب او ذکرکم بین النعام فافىتخروا ل

“O group of polytheists (deniers of Baha’ism), if you take pride in your nameremaining amongst the animals or being mentioned amongst the livestock,then take pride in that for you are worthy of it.” (Baha’u’llah, Athar-i Qalam-iA`la, vol. 2, no. 81, p. 452)

« انسانی خارج و بجلود معرض بال چون توقف نمود و از صراط لغزید در همان حین هیکلش از قمیص (لباس)«.بهائم (در پوست چهارپایان) ظاهر و مشهود گشت

“When the one who turned away from God halted (in accepting me) and felloff the path, in that moment his body left the garb of humanness andappeared and became visible in the skin of animals. Sanctified is He whochanges the beings how he likes.” (Baha’u’llah, Kitab-i badi`, p. 110)

Baha’u’llah goes as far as telling his followers that if they refer to his deniers as humans,he would deprive them of God’s graces:

« جمیع فیوضات رحمانی هر نفسی بر احدی از معرضین من اعلهم او من ادناهم ذکر انسانیت نماید، از الیومرتبه و مقام نماید محروم است؛ تا چه رسد که بخواهد از برای آن نفوس اثبات .»

“From this day, any individual that mentions as human a single person fromthose who deny me—whether that [denier] has a high or low stature—theywill be excluded from all of (God’s) Merciful Graces, let alone trying to prove[those deniers] have dignity or stature.” (Baha’u’llah, Kitab-i badi`, p. 140)

3- Instances where Baha’u’llah refers to his deniers as pigs

In the midst of criticizing a person by the name of Shaykh Abdu’l-Husayn, Baha’u’llahrefers to him as a pig and says:

“ و بما اکىتسبت یداک خنزیر اف لک یا ”

“Woe unto you pig for what you have committed.” (Abdu’l-Hamid IshraqKhavari, Rahiq-i makhtum, vol. 2, p. 27)

In a letter to Sayyid Mahdi of Dahaj, Baha’u’llah refers to the words of Mirza YahyaSubh-i Azal and his followers using these words:

«ثم اعلم بان ارتفعت مواء السنانیر ثم نباح الکلب و عن ورائها عواء الذهاب ثم قباع الخنازیر»

“Know that the meowing of cats, the barking of dogs and beyond that thehowling of wolves and grunting of pigs has risen.” (Fadil Mazandarani, Asraral-athar, vol. 5, p. 177)

4- Instances where Baha’u’llah refers to his deniers as bastards

In one of his writings Baha’u’llah states that deniers of Baha’ism should ask their statefrom their mother’s, which is a phrase used in Persian/Arabic to imply that someone is abastard:

«من ینکر هذا الفضل الظاهر الباهر المىتعالی المنیر ینبغی له بان یسئل عن امه حاله فسوف یرجع الی اسفل الجحیم»

“Whoever denies this apparent exalted luminous grace (meaning Baha’ism),it is worthy that he asks his state from his mother and he will soon bereturned to the bottom of hell,” Ishraq Khavari, Ma’idiy-i asimani, vol. 4, p.355;

In another instance, he utters a similar sentence but this time states that Satan has sleptwith the deniers mother:

«قل من کان فی قلبه بغض هذا الغلم (بهاء) فقد دخل الشیطان علی فراش امه»

“Whoever has the enmity of this servant (meaning Baha’u’llah) in his heart,certainly Satan has entered their mother’s bed,” Ishraq Khavari, Ganj-ishaygan, p. 79.

All the aforementioned statements were uttered by the same Baha’u’llah that wouldclaim:

“We, verily, have chosen courtesy, and made it the true mark of such as arenigh unto Him. Courtesy, is, in truth, a raiment which fitteth all men,whether young or old. Well is it with him that adorneth his temple therewith,and woe unto him who is deprived of this great bounty.” (Baha’u’llah,Proclamation of Baha’u’llah, p. 20)

The same Baha’u’llah that would preach:

“Verily I say, the tongue is for mentioning what is good, defile it not withunseemly talk. God hath forgiven what is past. Henceforward everyoneshould utter that which is meet and seemly, and should refrain from slander,abuse and whatever causeth sadness in men.” (Baha’u’llah, Kitab-i Aqdas)

And the same Baha’u’llah that would speak these words:

“Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee,and say not that which thou doest not. This is My command unto thee, dothou observe it.” (Baha’u’llah, The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah, p. 52)

Is Baha’u’llah willing to ascribe the aforementioned statements to himself? If not whydoes he ascribe them to others?

Baha’is deem it appropriate for their leader to refer to those that deny him as animals,pigs, dogs, donkeys, and bastards. How will they react if a non-Baha’i calls a Baha’i apig, dog, or donkey?

In some cases when Baha’is want to justify these words, they claim using fallaciousarguments, that since similar statements might be found in the scriptures of other faiths,Baha’u’llah was also justified in using this kind of inappropriate terminology! We willnot comment on those statements and the fallacies Baha’is use. Instead, we will showusing Baha’i scripture that such arguments are completely invalid, because according toAbdu’l-Baha, the Baha’i teachings are such that unlike all religions, faiths, and creeds,the enemies and deniers of Baha’ism are to be treated with great respect and under nocondition must they be insulted or referred to using profanities:

“The divine principles in this luminous era are such that one must not insultanyone,” Abdu’l-Baha, Makatib, vol. 1, p. 355.

“In every dispensation, there hath been the commandment of fellowship andlove, but it was a commandment limited to the community of those in mutualagreement, not to the dissident foe. In this wondrous age, however, praisedbe God, the commandments of God are not delimited, not restricted to anyone group of people, rather have all the friends been commanded to showforth fellowship and love, consideration and generosity and loving-kindness

to every community on earth . . . The meaning of this is that ye must showforth tenderness and love to every human being, even to your enemies, andwelcome them all with unalloyed friendship, good cheer, and loving-kindness.When ye meet with cruelty and persecution at another’s hands, keep faithwith him; when malevolence is directed your way, respond with a friendlyheart. To the spears and arrows rained upon you, expose your breasts for atarget mirror-bright; and in return for curses, taunts and wounding words,show forth abounding love.” (Abdu’l-Baha, Selections From the Writings ofAbdu’l-Baha, no. 7, pp. 20-22)

"From the beginning of human history down to the present time the variousreligions of the world have anathematized and accused each other of falsity.Each religion has considered the others bereft of the face of God, deprived ofHis mercy and in the direct line of divine wrath. Therefore, they haveshunned each other most rigidly, exercising mutual animosity and rancor ...Each one of the divine religions considers itself as belonging to a goodly andblessed tree, the tree of the Merciful, and all other religious systems asbelonging to a tree of evil, the tree of Satan. For this reason they heapexecration and abuse upon each other. This is clearly apparent in books ofhistorical record and prevailed until the time of the appearance ofBahá’u’lláh. When the light of Bahá’u’lláh dawned from the East, Heproclaimed the promise of the oneness of humanity. He addressed allmankind, saying, “Ye are all the fruits of one tree. There are not two trees:one a tree of divine mercy, the other the tree of Satan.” Again He said, “Yeare all the fruits of one tree, the leaves of one branch.” This was Hisannouncement; this was His promise of the oneness of the world of humanity.Anathema and execration were utterly abrogated. He said, “It is notbecoming in man to curse another; it is not befitting that man shouldattribute darkness to another; it is not meet that one human being shouldconsider another human being as bad; nay, rather, all mankind are theservants of one God; God is the Father of all; there is not a single exceptionto that law. There are no people of Satan; all belong to the Merciful. There isno darkness; all is light. All are the servants of God, and man must lovehumanity from his heart. He must, verily, behold humanity as submerged inthe divine mercy . . . Bahá’u’lláh has clearly said in His Tablets that if youhave an enemy, consider him not as an enemy. Do not simply be long-suffering; nay, rather, love him. Your treatment of him should be that whichis becoming to lovers. Do not even say that he is your enemy . Do not see anyenemies. Though he be your murderer, see no enemy. Look upon him withthe eye of friendship. Be mindful that you do not consider him as an enemyand simply tolerate him, for that is but stratagem and hypocrisy. To considera man your enemy and love him is hypocrisy. This is not becoming of anysoul. You must behold him as a friend. You must treat him well. This isright." Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 265–267.

“in all religious teachings of the past the human world hasbeen represented as divided into two parts: one known as the

people of the Book of God, or the pure tree, and the other thepeople of infidelity and error, or the evil tree. The former wereconsidered as belonging to the faithful, and the others to thehosts of the irreligious and infidel—one part of humanity therecipients of divine mercy, and the other the object of thewrath of their Creator. Bahá’u’lláh removed this by proclaimingthe oneness of the world of humanity, and this principle isspecialized in His teachings, for He has submerged all mankindin the sea of divine generosity.” (Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation ofUniversal Peace, p. 454.)

Once one delves into Baha’i scripture, specially the statements of Baha’u’llah that havenot been translated into English to date, it becomes apparent that the teachings ofBaha’ism are in no wise compatible with how they are advertised today.

Source :http://www.bahaibahai.com/eng/index.php/articles?id=86