Baha is neither a prophet nor a messenger

By: IMRAN SHAYKH

Even though Mirza Hussain Ali, Bahaullah proclaimed himself as the promised ‘One Whom Allah will Manifest’, yet, by paying attention to various sources, it can be established that such a claim of Bahaullah was nothing short of a proclamation of his own Divinity.

Keeping this in mind, it is clear that Baha’i thinkers have, by altering Quranic verses and traditions, and through scheming discussions and debates, sought to establish the position of Prophethood for Mirza Hussain Ali, Bahaullah. Consequently, they have rejected the finality of Prophethood and Messengership of the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh).

As per my studies, the arguments of the Baha’is to establish Bahaullah as a Prophet hold no water. In fact, they are not even conforming to the guidelines of Mirza Husain Ali himself. From this aspect, let us analyze the concept of “Finality of Prophethood” from purely the viewpoint of the Baha’is. We will eliminate all traces of it being an Islamic belief in our discussions. This approach is taken so that the relationship between the claim of ‘One Whom Allah will Manifest’ and the ‘Finality of Prophethood’ becomes clear for the reader. Referring to such discussions, makes it very clear that, contrary to Bahaullah’s claim as such, the Baha’is find themselves incapable of establishing Bahaullah as the promised ‘One Whom Allah will Manifest.’ They have therefore, attempted to tamper with Islamic sources – an approach which is obviously incorrect and not in the right spirit of arriving at a conclusion.

As mentioned earlier, we will use Baha’i sources only to establish that even Mirza Hussain Ali, Bahaullah believed in the finality of Prophethood and Messengership of the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh). Pay attention to the following:

Bahaullah writes,
“Just as you read in the Book that when Allah has completed Prophethood through His beloved (The Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh)), He has given the glad tidings to the servants of His meeting and this is a certain thing.”
(Ref: Maaedae’ Aasmani, volume 4, page 260)

At another place, Bahaullah writes,
“Blessings and salutations be on the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh) – the leader of the universe, the nourisher of the nations, the one by whom Messengership and Prophethood was terminated and upon his progeny and his companions; a perpetual and never ending blessing and salutation.”
(Ref: Ishraqaat, page 293)

At yet another place, Bahaullah writes,
“Once I was walking on the land of ‘Ta’ in Iran when suddenly, from every direction, on paying attention, the wailings of the prophets of the cities and the towns of that region could be heard and they were saying – O Allah, the last Apostle (pbuh), the leader of all Apostles of Allah, may our souls be sacrificed for him! We have been raised to remember You and extol You. But the ignorant sit upon us and are busy in swearing and cursing. O Allah! Deliver us from this.”
(Ref: Ishraqaat, page 246)

Mirza Hussain Ali Bahaullah writes,
“This is because Allah after having terminated the position of Prophethood upon His beloved and His chosen one, and His choicest from His creatures just as He has revealed in the glorious Quran; but (Holy Prophet (pbuh) is the messenger of Allah and the last of the prophets, has promised the eyes of His servants of His meetings on the Day of Qiyamat.”
(Ref: Asare Qalame’ Aala, volume 3, page 49)

The Baha’i scholar Abdul Hamid Ishraq Khavari writes,
“In the Holy Quran, in the chapter of Ahzab, the Messenger of Allah has been termed as the Last of the Prophets. The Blessed Beauty (Bahaullah) says regarding the above mentioned concept that the position of the Great Manifestation (Bahaullah) is superior to the previous manifestations. This is because Prophethood has been terminated by the manifestation of Mohammed (pbuh), the Messenger of Allah and this is the proof that the manifestation of the Great Promised One (Bahaullah) is in fact the manifestation of Allah. The era of Prophethood was terminated because the Holy Prophet (pbuh) was the last of the Prophets.”
(Reheeqe Makhtoom, volume 1, page 78)

At another place, Abdul Hamid Ishraq Khavari writes, “Surely Allah has, in the Holy Quran, named the Holy Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) as the last prophet and has terminated the series of Prophethood through his beloved existence (pbuh). In the chapter of Ahzab, it is revealed – Mohammed (pbuh) is not the father of any of your men, but his is the messenger of Allah and the last prophet.

From this can be explained the greatness of the position of this manifestation of Allah (Bahaullah), the Promised One to the nations and religions. This is because the position of Bahaullah is neither that Messengership nor of Prophethood, but is the manifestation of the Most Unseeen, the glad tidings of whose advent has been mentioned in the Holy Quran – ‘are they given respite except that Allah should come to them in the shadow from the clouds?’”
(Ref: Qamoose’ Tauqee Manee, volume 1, page 114)

Mirza Hussain Ali, Bahaullah, writes:
“Blessings and salutations be upon the Holy Prophet (pbuh), the leader of the universe, the nourisher of the nations, one by whom was terminated Messengership and Prophethood, and also upon his progeny and his companions.”
(Ref: Badie, page 293)

Mirza Hussain Ali, Bahaullah, says:
“Since the previous last Prophet, which is from the clear verses of the book of the Lord of the Universe, if 1,270 years should pass from it, one who is aware of the meaning of this meaning can also find the meanings of the Bayan coming true (indicating another Manifestation)”

Mirza Hussain Ali, Bahaullah, says:
“Know that the Nuqta of Furqaan and the light of the All-glorious when He brought the clear signs and decisive arguments, against whom all existence was helpless, he ordered all to be firm on the raised and extended path concerning all that has come from Allah. One who affirms to and attests to the signs of Unity in his heart, and beholds the Eternal Beauty in its lumination, then the rules of resurrection, gathering, life and paradise go against him. This is because after having believed in Allah and the Manifested Beauty, his neglectfulness will go away and his heart will gather in the land. Then know that his paradise in the greatest day of Allah is the best of all paradises and more subtle than the realities of Ridhwan. This is because Allah after having terminated the position of Prophethood through His beloved (Holy Prophet (pbuh), His chosen and choicest creation as has been revealed in Quran by (referring to him as) Messenger of Allah and the last Prophet, has promised the servants of His meeting on the Day of Judgment.”

Conclusion

By all these sayings and emphases, it is established that the position of Baha is neither that of a prophet not of a messenger. However even Abbas Effendi has contradicted this established claim of Bahaullah when he compared Bahaullah to a divine manifestation just as Hazrat Ibrahim, Hazrat Musa, Hazrat Isa and the Holy Prophet (pbuh)

Source: www.bahaiawareness.com