Calling the Baha’i bluff on clergymen

By: Dr. Mohammed Alam Qurayshi

The members of Baha’i faith take pride in declaring that they are clergy-free religion.

Before we get on with this, let me present one basic fact. Can you tell me what is the difference between RIGHT and CORRECT?

There could be subtle differences in the meaning of the two words, but still they are widely accepted as the alternates for each other. At times, it may be more apt to use RIGHT instead of CORRECT and vice versa. But regardless of that, both words underline the same meaning.

Having said that, let me draw your attention to the point of divine messengership. Muslims call divine messengers Prophets, the Hindus see them as avatars (or incarnations), Baha’is have coined a new word \"Manifestation.\" Is Manifestation a new concept? Baha’is have no answer. Then why a new word? Because this is a word of convenience, it does not drive away a Muslim with a Hindu term and vice versa.

Coming to the point here. When it comes to playing with words, Baha’is can outperform anyone in coining new terms and presenting them differently, while they mean the same - in letter and spirit.

Likewise, while the Baha’is do not have a clergy, they have the Auxiliary Board Members (ABMs) and counselors in place. Then they have the Local Spiritual Assemblies (LSAs), the National Spiritual Assemblies (NSAs) and above all the House of Justice. Originally, it was mandatory on them to have a Guardian above the House of Justice, but with Abdul Baha’s prophecy failing and Shoghi Affandi having died without an offspring, the Baha’is manipulated the Faith and declared that the world would now function without a Guardian. They hope that few years down the line, or maybe a couple of generations later this will be forgotten and the prophecy will quietly be removed from the books and the Faith would thus stand corrected.

“Shoghi Affandi”

Now, let us first understand what is the clergy, their role and why did they earn a bad name.

A clergyman or a cleric is an expert in religious affairs, he adopts piety, undergoes a rigorous course so that he can guide the people in the manner taught by divine messengers.

...that they may gain sound knowledge in religion, and that they may warn their folk when they return to them, so that they may beware.

وَمَا كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنْفِرُوا كَافَّة فَلَوْلَا نَفَرَ مِنْ كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِنْهُمْ طَائِفَةٌ لِيَتَفَقَّهُوا فِي الدِّينِ وَلِيُنْذِرُوا قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُوا إِلَيْهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحْذَرُونَ﴿١٢٢﴾

(Chapter Tawbah: Verse 122)

He spends a good part of his youth mastering the Arabic language to understand the subtleties of Prophetic traditions explaining the Quranic verses. After decades of study does he develop a degree of expertise in deriving religious laws and issuing religious edicts. So a cleric devotes his life for guiding the common man and exercises his efforts at building a better life for the people. They are not in the business of making people happy and do not hesitate to call a spade a spade. Not surprisingly this upsets the tyrants and evil people.

However, Muslim scholars are disliked, more by the non-Muslims than the Muslims -primarily because they rose and continue to rise in defense of Islam when attempts are made to corrupt the Muslims. Case in point is the Ayatullah Shirazi fatwa banning use of tobacco in 1890s which badly impacted the British policy of corrupting Iranian youths. In order to draw the Muslim masses away from Muslim scholars, clergy and \"Mullahs\" are used as derogatory terms.

It is shameful that Baha’is do not have any clerics, any expert who understands the teaching of Bahaullah. And if a common Baha’i can understand the complex teachings of Bahaullah by devoting a few hours every month in the name of self-study, the shallowness of the Baha’i faith stands exposed.

A simple analogy to explain this point. A doctor immerses himself in the study of medicine for a good part of his life and constantly upgrades his knowledge in study circles devoting hours every week, and after that excels, but only in a branch of medical science. A Baha’i, on the other hand, with a few hours of study here and there, is able to understand the secrets of Gnosis of God. No wonder, he is finding the wrong god.

The Baha’is, who were created to for causing dissension amongst Muslims, declare they have no clergy. But in reality, they have ABMs and counselors and others who exercise more power and authority than the Muslim clerics. What they do not admit is that they are governed by an autocratic administration? With their verbal gymnastics, the Baha’is are fooling none but themselves.

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