Summary of differences between Baha’is and Muslims

MOHAMMAD REZA ISFAHANI

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The Baha’i belief about Qiyamat - The Day of Judgment, comprises of three elements. Of these, one is that the previous prophets announced the signs for the advent of their successors, albeit in an ambiguous and unclear manner. The religious scholars interpreted these signs in their own ways and explained them downwards to their followers as per the literal meaning of these signs. The Baha’is assert that, as in the past, the Holy Quran has explained the signs for the advent of the Bab and Bahaullah. The collective term for these signs is \"Qiyamat\". The Islamic scholars interpreted these signs literally and became the cause for misguiding the entire Muslim community. It is due to this that Muslims have rejected Bab and Bahaullah.

Our Reply:

The Baha’i assertion that the signs of Qiyamat are ambiguous or unclear is completely wrong. This is because Allah the Almighty has taken a covenant from each prophet and messenger that they would introduce the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and his progeny (as) to their communities. Pay attention to the following verses of the Quran,

وَلَقَدْ كَتَبْنَا فِي الزَّبُورِ مِن بَعْدِ الذِّكْرِ أَنَّ الْأَرْضَ
يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِيَ الصَّالِحُونَ

…And certainly We wrote in the Zaboor after the Zikr (Reminder) that (as for) the land, my righteous servants shall inherit it.
(Ref: Chapter of Ambiya, verse 105)

In the above verse, Zaboor refers to the book which was revealed upon Hazrat Dawood (as) and Zikr refers to the Torah revealed upon Hazrat Musa (as).

Traditions which are narrated from both Shiah and Sunni sources indicate that the above verse refers to the government of Hazrat Imam Mehdi (as), which when established during his lifetime, will usher in an era of peace and prosperity for the sincere servants of Allah.

Or the following verses,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَيَشْتَرُونَ بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلاً أُولَـئِكَ مَا يَأْكُلُونَ فِي بُطُونِهِمْ إِلاَّ النَّارَ وَلاَ يُكَلِّمُهُمُ اللّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَلاَ يُزَكِّيهِمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
أُولَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوُاْ الضَّلاَلَةَ بِالْهُدَى وَالْعَذَابَ بِالْمَغْفِرَةِ
فَمَآ أَصْبَرَهُمْ عَلَى النَّارِ
ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللّهَ نَزَّلَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُواْ
فِي الْكِتَابِ لَفِي شِقَاقٍ بَعِيدٍ

\"Those who conceal Allah\'s revelations in the Book, and purchase for them a miserable profit, - they swallow into themselves naught but Fire; Allah will not address them on the Day of Resurrection. Nor purify them: Grievous will be their penalty. They are the ones who buy Error in place of Guidance and Torment in place of Forgiveness. Ah! What boldness (They show) for the Fire! (Their doom is) because Allah sent down the Book in truth but those who seek causes of dispute in the Book are in a schism Far (from the purpose).
(Ref: Chapter of Baqarah, verses 174-176)

The above verse clearly talks about the Day of Judgment - the Baha’is should clarify which word in the above verse is ambiguous or unclear. In fact it seems clear to all readers of the Quran save the Baha’is. Perhaps one reason for that is that this verse talks about the Baha’is who reject the traditions of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and twist the meanings of the Quran to their selfish motives (conceal the revelation of Allah). Truly the Baha’is by doing this are purchasing the fire of Hell for themselves. Allah asserts that He will not address such people on the Day of Judgment nor purify them. Rather He will torment them with a painful and humiliating punishment.

In the same verse, Allah points to the fallacy of the Baha’is who claim to accept the 11 Imams after the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh) yet have grievously erred in their recognition of the 12th and the last Imam - Hazrat Imam Mehdi (as). It is for them that Allah says - They are the ones who buy Error in place of Guidance and Torment in place of Forgiveness. And it is not just for this that they will be pulled up. The Baha’is have not just rejected the true representative of Allah - Imam Mehdi (as), but have also twisted the word of Allah, the Quran and lowered the status of the Holy Prophet (pbuh).

In the above verse, Allah expresses His astonishment for those who make light of the fire of Hell. Incidentally, my readers should note that the Baha’is do not believe in a physical Heaven or Hell. Nor in a physical Day of Judgment. They consider all these as \"spiritual\". They claim that nearness to Allah will mean Heaven and distance from His mercy is Hell. These are beliefs which are man-made and have no connection to the concepts of the Day of Judgment which Allah has outlined through His Prophet (pbuh) and the Holy Imams (as). Thus, the Baha’is are the people who are likened in this verse as those who show boldness for the Fire of Hell (for them there is no fire, no burning), whereas Allah promises them a painful chastisement.

Pay attention to the words in the first chapter of the Quran, wherein Allah reminds people that He is the Master of the Day of Judgment - Allah is the Master of all Days. Yet, He chose to remind people specifically of this one day when He will be the supreme Master. While man has been gifted free will to pursue his desires in this world, in the Hereafter, this gift will not be available to him and he will be helpless before Allah who will judge the people.

Also pay attention to this verse from the same chapter of Quran,

يُخَادِعُونَ اللّهَ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَمَا يَخْدَعُونَ إِلاَّ
أَنفُسَهُم وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ
فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ فَزَادَهُمُ اللّهُ مَرَضاً وَلَهُم
عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْذِبُونَ
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لاَ تُفْسِدُواْ فِي الأَرْضِ قَالُواْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ
أَلا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ الْمُفْسِدُونَ وَلَـكِن لاَّ يَشْعُرُونَ
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ آمِنُواْ كَمَا آمَنَ النَّاسُ قَالُواْ أَنُؤْمِنُ كَمَا آمَنَ السُّفَهَاء أَلا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ السُّفَهَاء وَلَـكِن لاَّ يَعْلَمُونَ

\"Of the people there are some who say: \"We believe in Allah and the Last Day;\" but they do not (really) believe. Fain would they deceive Allah and those who believe, but they only deceive themselves, and realize (it) not! In their hearts is a disease; and Allah has increased their disease: And grievous is the penalty they (incur), because they are false (to themselves). When it is said to them: \"Make not mischief on the earth,\" they say: \"Why, we only want to make peace!\" Of a surety, they are the ones who make mischief, but they realize (it) not.\"
(Ref: Chapter of Baqarah, verses 8-12)

This verse talks about the Baha’is and their like - those who claim to believe in Allah, the Prophets and the Day of Judgment - yet they reject all the traditions and the explanations of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and the righteous Imams (as) to the effect and conjure their own interpretation. It is for people like these that Allah has promised the fire of Hell and a painful chastisement.

In a similar manner, Allah clearly informs us that such people have a disease in their hearts, due to which they are mischief mongers, but in the eyes of the people, they claim to be the harbingers of peace and unity in this world - clearly a verse for the Baha’is to read and ponder.

The Baha’is claim that the meaning of Qiyamat relates to the advent of Bab and Bahaullah is misplaced. No other topic in the Holy Quran, after the Unity of Allah (Tawheed), has been dealt upon so extensively as that of the Day of Judgment. The Prophet and the Imams (as) have described the stages of death, of Barzakh (an intermediate stage of Qiyamat), the stages of Qiyamat itself, the gathering of all people, their accounting, the pleasures of Heaven and the fire of Hell in such vivid detail that after reading all these traditions, it is only one who is deaf, dumb and blind who will reject the Islamic concept of Qiyamat. That is why Allah (swt) emphases,

صُمٌّ بُكْمٌ عُمْيٌ فَهُمْ لاَ يَرْجِعُونَ

Deaf, dumb, and blind, they will not return (to the path).
(Ref: Surah Baqarah, verse 18)

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ
أَأَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ خَتَمَ
اللّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهمْ وَعَلَى سَمْعِهِمْ وَعَلَى
أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عظِيمٌ

As to those who reject Faith, it is the same to them whether thou warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe. Allah hath set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and on their eyes is a veil; great is the penalty they (incur).
(Ref: Surah Baqarah, verses 6-7)

At yet another place, Allah reminds the Baha’is,

وَإِذَا لَقُواْ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ قَالُواْ آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْاْ إِلَى
شَيَاطِينِهِمْ قَالُواْ إِنَّا مَعَكْمْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِؤُونَ
اللّهُ يَسْتَهْزِىءُ بِهِمْ وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
أُوْلَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرُوُاْ الضَّلاَلَةَ بِالْهُدَى
فَمَا رَبِحَت تِّجَارَتُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُواْ مُهْتَدِينَ

\"When they meet those who believe, they say: \"We believe;\" but when they are alone with their evil ones, they say: \"We are really with you: We (were) only jesting.\" Allah will throw back their mockery on them, and give them rope in their trespasses; so they will wander like blind ones (To and fro). These are they who have bartered Guidance for error: But their traffic is profitless, and they have lost true direction,\"
(Ref: Surah Baqarah, verses 14-16)

Baha’is claim that the Day of Judgment refers to the advent of every Prophet and Messenger, including Bab and Bahaullah. If this is the interpretation, then where is the question of reward and punishment which has been promised by Allah and conveyed in such detail by His Prophet (pbuh) and the Imams (as)? Baha’is do not believe in the \"physical\" concept of reward and punishment. For them all these terms are spiritual in nature and they too cannot explain what it means. Perhaps their intention is that people should forget goodness and evil (and why not, given that there is no hope for reward, and no fear for punishment) and do whatever they like by paying the necessary fees to the Universal House of Justice (refer to the punishment for adultery). Compare this with the Islamic concept of the Day of Judgment when Allah promises,

فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ
وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ

Then shall anyone who has done an atom’s weight of good, see it! And anyone who has done an atom’s weight of evil, shall see it.
(Ref: Surah Zilzaal, verses 7-8)

If the collective term for signs of the advent of Prophets and Messenger is Qiyamat, then what happens to all those people who were born prior to their advent and left this world without knowing . What is their responsibility - is it to recognize the signs or the Prophet? Is there no Qiyamat for them? This is in direct contrast to the Islamic teaching that every person will be accounted for his actions.

One of the key reasons for the Baha’i rejection of Qiyamat is to divert the attention of the people from the true teachings of Islam, of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and the Holy Imams (as). Death is a reality, understood by all. Allah says in the Quran,

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَنَبْلُوكُم بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ

Every soul will have the taste of death…
(Chapter of Ambiya, verse 35)

It is a concept which inspires both hope and fear in us - hope for reward and fear of torment. It is for that reason that a person strives to avoid evil and performs good actions. This is why the Holy Prophet (pbuh) constantly exhorted us to remember death and the Hereafter.

On the contrary, the Baha’is have made Qiyamat out to be something frivolous. They have abolished the concept of both Heaven and Hell, of Fire and Paradise. Their Qiyamat is neither to be feared nor desired. Baha’is may believe whatever they like - as mentioned above every person will taste the flavor of death and the reality will be out soon. But what is disturbing is they have rejected the words of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and the Imams (as) on the matter of Qiyamat. While on one hand they claim to have respect for the personality of the Prophet, the reality is that by out rightly rejecting the words and the concepts propounded by the Holy Prophet (pbuh), they have rejected the Prophet himself.

Source: www.bahaiawareness.com