The Writings of Bab, Baha and The Companions

IMRAN SHEIKH

All the prophets of Allah received revelation from Him. Allah is the source of all revelations. Thus it is said that the Divine books were revealed by Allah on the Prophets. For example the Torah was revealed on Moses, the Bible on Jesus Christ and the Quran on Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). In all the above cases we saw that books were revealed on the prophet, and not by the prophet. But the Baha’is do so. According to the Baha’is the book Bayan was revealed by Bab, Iqan by Baha and so on....

But first a fairy tale...if you want to know the source of Baha’i revelations, then read on...

• The so called revelations came to Baha when he was imprisoned in the dungeons of Tehran, an abominable pit......His feet in stocks, his neck weighed down by the mighty chain, surrounded by miscreants and criminals of the first order......at so great an Hour and under such appalling conditions, the \"Most Great Spirit\", as designated by Himself, and symbolized in the Zoroastrian, Mosaic, the Christian and Mohammedan Faiths as the sacred Fire, the Burning Bush, the Dove and the angel Gabriel respectively, descended upon and revealed itself, personated by a \'Maiden\' to the agonized soul of Baha.
• In his Suratul Haykal he thus describes those breathless moments when the maiden symbolizing the \"Most Great Spirit\" proclaimed the mission to the entire creation. While engulfed in tribulations, I heard a most wondrous, a most sweet vice calling above my head. Turning my face I beheld a maiden, the embodiment of the remembrance of the name of my Lord suspended in the air above me. So rejoiced was she in her soul that her countenance shone with the ornament of the good pleasure of God, and her cheeks glowed with the brightness of the All-Merciful. Between heaven and earth she was raising a call which captivated the hearts and the minds of men. She was imparting to both My soul and outer being tidings which rejoiced my soul and the soul of God\'s honored servants. Pointing with her finger unto My head, she addressed all those in Heaven and all those on Earth saying, \'By God! this is the beauty of God amongst you and the power of his sovereignty within you, could you but understand (page 65)
• Baha says \"whenever I chose to hold my peace and be still to the voice of the Holy Spirit, standing in My right hand aroused me, and the Most Great Spirit appeared before My face and Gabriel overshadowed me and the Spirit of Glory stirred within My bosom, bidding me arise and break My silence. (page 65)
• (Baha) sang the praises of that Maiden who personified the Spirit of God within him. (page 77)
  This was the state of the \"Maiden\" who was the source of Baha\'s revelation.

The tall claims of Baha\'s revelation

• During the first 2 years after His (Baha\'s) return from Sulaymania, the unrecorded message that streamed from His lips averaged in a single day and night, the equivalent of the Quran (page 88).
  Guess the sufis must have really taught Him something!!
• On the express orders of Baha, hundreds of thousands of verses, mostly written by His own hand were obliterated and cast into the river. Mirza Aqa Jaan says that \"not once or twice but innumerable times I was commanded to repeat this act (page 88)
  These writings must have been really absurd or heretic in nature, hence Baha thought it better to dispose them off lest they become the cause of revealing his ignorance or the falsity of his claims!!
• The Iqan was revealed in the space of 2 days and 2 nights (page 88). 
  Going by the speed of Baha\'s revelations, the Iqan should have been twice the size of the volume of Quran. but it found to be of hardly 100 pages in its Persian text. Why so less Baha? Why did your speed decline? Or is it that you ran out of ideas?
• Mirza Baqir Shirazi transcribed no less than 2000 verses every day. He laboured during six to seven months. Every month the equivalent of several volumes would be penned by him and sent to Persia. About 20 volumes in his fine penmanship he left behind for Mirza Aqa Jan. (page 108)
• Baha says, \"Such are the outpourings ..... from the clouds of Divine Bounty that within a pace of an hour, the equivalent of a 1000 verses have been revealed. So great is the grace vouchsafed in this day that in a single day and night, were an amanuensis capable of accomplishing it to be found, the equivalent of the Persian Bayan would be sent down from the heaven of Divine Holiness\"(page 108)
• Baha says \"I swear by God! In those days the equivalent of all that has been sent down aforetime unto the Prophets has been revealed. That which has already been revealed in this land (Adrianopole), secretaries are incapable of transcribing. It has therefore remained for the most part untraced (page 108) These were some of the happenings of Baha about the Revelation.

The writings of Bab
Baha has safely mentioned that the source of his writings was the Holy Spirit in the form of the Maiden. He has also mentioned the various forms in which the Holy Spirit was appearing in front of the previous prophets. But he has not mentioned how the Holy Spirit appeared in front of Bab. Does Baha by this omission want to say that there was no divine revelation for Bab? Or did Allah reveal the verses to Bab directly without any channel or medium? In that case Bab would be called a greater Prophet even greater than Baha. Is that not so?

Strangely even Bab did not mention as to how he received the Revelation. Or is it that he revealed his own verses upon himself??

In any case....,

• Mulla Ali Bastami says that from the pen of his master (Bab) within the space of 48 hours, verses had streamed that equalled in number to those of the Quran. (page 11)
• The revelation of Bab\'s commentary on Surah Kausar was no less than 2000 verses (page 12)
• Bab wrote a commentary on the first letter of Surah Asr in verses that equalled in number a third of the Quran (page 14)
• Bab claimed (in the court of Tabriz) to be able to reveal within the space of 2 days and 2 nights, verses equal to the whole of the Quran (page 18)
• In the magnitude of the writings emanating from His (Bab\'s) pen and the diversity of the subjects treated in those writings, the revelation stands totally unparalled in the annals of any previous religion (page 19)
• Baha says \"The verses that have rained from this cloud of Divine mercy have been so abundant that as yet none has been able to estimate their number. Scores of volumes are now available. How many still remain beyond our reach. How many have been plundered and have fallen into the hands of the enemies, the fate of which is still not known (page 19)
  Not even by Baha?? How strange for a God to be ignorant!!
• The Kitabur Ruh written by Bab comprised of 700 surahs (page 20)
• In the fortress of Mah-ku, Bab wrote 9 commentaries of the Quran.(page 20).
  Yet despite his prodigious speed Bab could not complete the Bayan which was to be just one book with 19 chapters!

Qayyamul Asma
Now let us talk about the most famous book penned by Bab, and that is Qayamul Asma. On the night  of 5th Jamadiul Awwal (22nd May 1844)  Mirza Ali Mohammed Bab met Mulla Husayn Bushrui. To him he presented the claim of being the special deputy or Bab (Gate) of the awaited Imam Mahdi (as). When Mulla Husayn asked for a proof in support of this claim, Bab wrote a commentary on Surah Yusuf which forms the opening of the book. This commentary as found in Raheeq-e-Makhtoom was supposedly revealed by Imam Mahdi (as) to Bab. This convinced Mulla Husayn that Mirza Ali Mohammed was indeed the Bab of Imam Mahdi (as).

Thus Qayyamul Asma is very important regarding the claims of Bab because in it we find the first claim of Mirza Ali Mohammed and that is being the Bab of Imam Mahdi (as). This book is very important in the annals of Bahai history and it can be gauged by the following passages of God Passes By:

• The declaration of the mission of the Bab was marked by the \"first, greatest and the mightest of all books in the Babi dispensation (Qayyamul Asma), the celebrated commentary on the Surah of Yusuf, the first chapter of which, we are assured, preceeded in its entirety in the course of that night of nights from the pen of its divine revealer. The description of this episode by Mulla Husayn as well as the opening pages of that book attest the magnitude and force of the mighty revelation. He claimed to be the Herald (Bab - Gate) of One immeasureably greater than himself (Imam Mahdi as) (page 9)
• Mulla Husayn says that on the night of 22nd May 1844, Mirza Ali Mohammed revealed the verses of Qayyamul Asma. (page 8)
• Bab has revealed what Baha characterised as the \"first, greatest, and the mightest of all books in the Babi dispensation\", the celebrated commentary of Surah Joseph, entitled Qayyamul Asma (page 9)
• It was this book Qayyamul Asma which the Babis universally regarded during almost the entire ministry of the Bab as the Quran of the people of Bayan, whose first and most challenging chapter was revealed in the presence of Mulla Husayn on the night of its Author\'s declaration.....a single passage of which had captured the imagination and entranced the soul of Hujjat and whose contents had set afire the intrepid defenders of the Fort of Shaykh Tabarsi and the hereos of Nayriz and Zanzan (page 20)

Thus we see that Qayyamul Asma is respnsible for the conversion of Hujjat and three Babi uprisings. Thus all those who were on Bab\'s side were supporting the claim of Babiyat (special deputship) of Imam Mahdi (as) and not one believed him to be Imam Mahdi himself. But did Bab himself call himself as the Gate of Imam Mahdi (as) ?? Yes, and even Shoghi says so. It is amazing but atlast the truth has come out from the people of falsehood.

• Shoghi says about Babism on page 11 of God Passes By; A Faith whose founder (Bab) did not content Himself with the claim of being the gate of the Hidden Imam....
• In Qayyamul Asma, Bab extolls the virtues and anticipates the coming of the \"Remnant of God\", \"Most Great Master\" (page 19)

Actually, the \"Remnant of God\" in Arabic is termed as \"Baqiyatullah\". This word is used in Quran for Imam Mahdi and is among his famous titles. This fact can also be found in the introduction to the book Dawn Breakers translated by Shoghi Effandi and is considered an important book by the Bahais.. Thus even the Bahais accept that Baqiyatullah is a title of Imam Mahdi (as).

But here Shoghi has a completely different story to tell. He says that by Baqiyatullah, is meant Baha. Now what makes Shoghi make such a preposterous claim?

• Shoghi on page 45 says that, \"Baha alone was the object of the cryptic allusions, the glowing eulogies, the fervent prayers, the joyful announcements and the dire warnings recorded in Qayyamul Asma.
  Here again he has substituted Baha for Imam Mahdi (as). Another blunder committed by Shoghi.
• On page 11, Shoghi says that Mirza Ali Mohammed claimed to be the Gate (Bab) to the Hidden Imam.
• On page 8, Shoghi says that in his first meeting with Mulla Husayn, Bab claimed to be the Promised Qaem.

Now, if Bab claimed to be the Promised Qaem which is not true, in the very first meeting with Mulla Husayn, which was the beginning of his declaration, when did he claim to be the Gate of the Hidden Imam??

The Bahais cannot answer these questions, but we can!! Bab only claimed to be the Gate of the Hidden Imam initially, it was only after the event of Badasht, that he declared himself to the Promised Qaem.

Thus the book Qayyamul Asma is a death trap for the Bahais and they have since discontinued its publication.

The capabilities of Quddus in interpreting Quran

• Quddus wrote a commentary of the Surah of Samad, thrice as voluminous as the Quran itself (page 30).
• Quddus wrote a commentary of the Surah of Samad, 6 times as voluminous as the Quran itself (page 46).
  What a great screw-up and that too in the same book with a few pages separating the two references! Surely liars have weak memories.
• Baha alone was the one alluded to by Quddus, who upon his arrival at the Fort of Shaykh Tabrasi, uttered as he had dismounted and leaned against the shrine, the prophetic verse \"The Remnant of God - Baqiatullah is better for you if you are believers\". (page 46)

Again the Bahais say that Baqiyatullah means Baha. But we have proven before that it means only Imam Mahdi (as). Quddus was calling people towards the deputyship of Mirza Ali Mohammed so that through Bab they could reach the holy presence of Imam Mahdi (as). In no utterances of Quddus can it be proved that Quddus was referring Baha as Baqiyatullah.

A point to ponder: Bahais say that Bab brought a new religion to abrogate the religion of Islam and the book Quran. Now, if Bab annulled the Quran and Islam, then why did Bab, Baha and Quddus and others of their ilk write commentaries on the Quran. Surely no wise man would write a commentary of an annulled book, leave alone a prophet. Secondly there is no instance of a prophet having written a commentary on the divine book of his predecessor. Did Jesus Christ write a commentary of the Torah, and did Holy Prophet write a commentary on the Bible?? No!

Then why did Bab and the others do so? Simply because they were Muslims. Bab had never claimed to be the Promised Qaem initially. The claim came only at the end of his mission. In fact he only claimed to be the Bab of the Promised Qaem, and thus he and his followers wrote extensive commentaries to justify their claims of being learned Muslims and receiving help of Imam Mahdi (as).

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