The Position of Bahaullah and Abdulbaha

IMRAN SHEIKH

Bahaullah seems to have suffered from a disease now called Schizophrenia, i.e., he had a dual personality. The effect of this disease was so severe that even Bahaullah was unable to fully comprehend who he really was. This affliction also affected the quality of his so-called \"revelations\".

As the book on page 138 candidly states, \"Baha has written with reference to the Central Theme of his revelations that at one time we spoke in the language of the law-giver (God), and in another in that of the truth seeker and the mystic (human)\". When the central theme of his revelation is so funny and foolish, one can very well comprehend what the revelation must be like, full of absurdity and contradictions. And this is exactly what happened.

Anyhow, as in the case of Bab, we have Baha in various dimensions and facets. Broadly we classify it into 2 major aspects. On one hand we have the magnanimous Baha who is Divine, and at the same time non-Divine, and still the occupant of an outstanding station, on the other hand we have the meek, lamenting, helpless, sorrowful, thrashed, stripped and exiled and accursed Baha. If such are the attributes of God, then atheists truly need to be saluted for the non-belief in God.

We shall now deal with each of these aspects in detail

The Divine And/Or Mighty Positions of Baha 
Baha himself affirms that the day of revelation was what every prophet had announced and for which the soul of every prophet had thirsted (page 7)

Bab believed in \'Him whom God shall manifest\' before all creations were created and did his glory before all who are in the heavens and the earth (page 23). Baha claimed to be the one \'whom God shall manifest\'. This implies that the first two creations were Bab and Baha.

• Bab said \"in the year nine you will attain the presence of God\" (page 23). Shoghi has claimed that this prophecy was fulfilled by the advent of Baha. Thus Baha is God, isn\'t this what you mean Shoghi?
• Baha asserts regarding his revelation and that of Bab thus \"That so brief an interval should have separated this most mighty and wondrous Revelation (Baha) from Mine own previous Manifestation (Bab) is a secret that no man can unravel and a majority such as no mind can fathom\" (page 59)

We have Bab and Baha, both of whom are apparently manifestations of the same personality. Now if Baha was Bab, then Bab was Baha. The the Babi Faith is the Bahai faith and vice-versa. Then the execution of Bab was in effect the martyrdom of Baha and Baha\'s death was in fact that of Bab\'s.

The various positions of Baha cannot be gauged by a human mind. They are innumerable and very confusing.

Baha is the One whom innumerable followers already recognize as the Judge, the Lawgiver, the Redeemer of all mankind, as the Organizer of all planets, as the Unifier of the children of men, as the Inaugurator of the long awaited millenium, as the Originator of a new universal cycle, as the Establisher of the most great peace\', as the Fountain of the most great justice, as the Proclaimer of the coming of age of the entire human race, as the Creator of the new world order and as the Founder and as an Inspirer of a world civilisation (page 60).

• To Israel He (Baha) was neither more nor less than the incarnation of the Everlasting Father (page 60). In other words he was God himself. Note the words, \'neither more nor less\' used here. Actually the word more serves no purpose, as none knows a position higher than God (as yet). But the words \'no less\' indicate that Baha was not less than God.
• To the Christians, He (Baha) was Christ returned in the glory of the Father (page 60). Again here we find proof of Baha\'s divinity.
• To the Shiah Islam, He (Baha) was the return of Imam Husayn (page 60).

But Shiahs believe in the actual return of Imam Husayn, in the same body and the same physical features as before his martyrdom. And they expect to see him as a grown-up person and not as one who has been born.

• To the Sunni Islam, He (Baha) was the advent of the Spirit of God i.e., Jesus Christ (page 60). Again we believe that Jesus will descend from the sky at Masjid-e-Aqsa and not that he will be born in a Mirza family in Iran.
• To the Zoroastrians, He (Baha) was the Promised Behram (page 60)
• To the Hindus, He (Baha) was the reincarnation of Krishna (page 60)
• To the Buddhists, He (Baha_ was the fifth Buddha (page 60)
• Baha was styled the Lord of Lords (Rabbul Rab), the Most Ancient Name (Ism-e-Azm), the anciant beuty, the preserved treasure, the most great light, the most great ocean, the supreme heaven, the great announcement, the speaker on Sinai....(page 60).
• We all know that it was God Almighty who spoke to Prophet Musa (Moses) on the Sinai. Thus Baha is God Almighty himself. Also since Baha is self sufficient, he is God as only God is sellf Sufficient.
• To Him (Baha), Isaiah had alluded as the everlasting Father.. the One who will come with a strong hand (page 60). But Baha himself was thrashed, cursed and exiled. This means that the prophecies are not for Baha.
• Of Him, David had sung in his Psalms, acclaiming Him as the \'Lord of the Hosts\' and the \'King of Glory.\' (page 60).
• Ezekiel called Him as the \'Lord who shall be king over all the earth\'. (page 60)
• Joel and Zephaniah referred to Him as the \'Day of Jehovah\' (page 60)

• Daniel and Ezekiel had both acclaimed His Day as \'the day of the Lord\' while Malachi described it as \'the great and dreadful day of the Lord\' (page 60).
• \"To Him did Zoraster allude by the World Saviour \'Shah Bahram\'.\" (page 61)
• \"He alone is meant by the prophecy of Gautam Buddha regarding \'a Buddha named Maitreya, the Buddha of Universal fellowship\'.\" (page 62)
• \"To Him the Bhagvad Gita of the Hindus had referred to as the \'Most Great Spirit, the Tenth Avatar and the Immaculate Manifestation of Krishna.\" (page 61) Again in all these Bahaullah is referred to as God, the Almighty.
• \"To Him Christ referred to as the Comforter, the Son of Man who shall come in the Glory of His Father.\" (Page 61) thereby implies Divinity.
• Saint Paul alluded His day as the times of restitution of all things which God has spoken by the mouths of all His Prophets since the world began (page 61)
• \"To Him Muhammad (PBUH) had alluded in his book (Quran) as the Great Announcement and declared this Day Allah (Subhanahu) will come down overshadowed with clouds\", the Day wherein \"the Lord shall come and the angels rank in rank. His advent has been mentioned in the \'Heart of Quran\' (Surah Yaseen) as the third Messenger sent down to strengthen the two who had preceded Him. His Day is glorified as the Day of Judgement (Qiyamat). The Day when mankind shall stand before the Lord of the World and all shall come to Him in humble guise... the Day wherein accounts shall be taken.\" (Page 61)
• All the signs mentioned above are regarding Qiyamat and do not allude to Bahaullah\'s advent. Also on page 54 Bab claims to be the \'Great Announcement\'.
• Shaykh Ahmed-e-Ahsai said \'I can appoint no time. His Cause will be known after Him\'. (Page 62) The Bahais interpret statements to suit their own motives, with absolutely no regard to what the person actual meant. They have twisted everything very conveniently to suit their objectives. The Bahai shrewdness and deceit is indeed amazing. Shaykh Ahmed-e-Ahsai has said that His Cause will be known \'after a while\' which in Arabic is called as \'HIN\'. Now Bahais calculated the Hin to be number 68. Thus they say that the Cause of Bahaullah was in 1268. But where has Shaykh Ahmed-e-Ahsai mentioned 1268.\' It could very well have been 1368 or 1468 or 6851. Moreover the Cause of Bahaullah was known among the people only on April 22, 1863, i.e. 1279 A.H., when Bahaullah declared his mission in the Garden of Ridvan. Hence the prophecy does not refer to Bahaullah.
• \"Syed Kazim Rashti said \'Verily I say, after the Qaem, the Qaiyyum will be manifest.\'\" (page 62) Qayyum being among the titles of God, the Almghty, the Bahais consider Bahaullah God on the basis of the saying of this heretic.
• Bab had referred him as \'The Preserved One of Allah\'.\" (Page 62) This title by no means refers to Bahaullah. It refers to the Mahdi. (Noorul Absaar page 172 by Shiblanji & Al Fusoolul Muhimma chapter 12 by Ibne Sabbagh Maliki) This fact has been also been testified by Bab in \'Sahifae Adaliyya\'.
• \"Bab had said that He had made a covenant with all created things regarding Him (Bahaullah).\" (Page 62) This would mean as mentioned before that Bab was God.
• \"Bab says that His (Bahaullah) Days are the Days of God Himself.\" (Page 63)
• \'The Revelation of Bahaullah signaled the end of the Prophetic Era and marked the Era of Fulfillment\' (Page 64)

So Bab is not the Last Prophet. Then was it Bahaullah ? or was it Abbas Affandi ? Bahais must refer to Badae-ul-Aasar vol. 2, where Abbas Affandi is termed as \'the Prophet of the East\'.

• Bahaullah says, \"I am He who fears none though all those who are in the Heavens and Earth rise against me... This is my hand, which God has turned white for all to see. This is My Staff, were We to cast it down, it would, of a truth, swallow up all created things.\" (Page 107)

It seems that the only reason Bahaullah did not throw his staff was that it would have swallowed him also. Or is it that Bahaullah was never created but eternal? Is he God?

• \'Bahaullah says that he fears none but God and that he speaks at God\'s bidding.\' (Page 111) But Bahaullah is God. Then why does he fear his own self? Also it implies that if he is God then he speaks at his own bidding.
• \"When the exiles disembarked at Acca, the people had gathered to behold the \'God of the Persians\'.\" (Page 118) Again implying that he is God.
• \'Bahaullah in Kitab-e-Aqdas bids King William I to hear His Voice, the voice of God Himself.\' (Page 131) Again proclaiming divinity.
• Bahaullah says \"No by God, the Lord of the Mighty Throne, My Signs have encompassed the earth and my power enveloped all mankind\'.\" (page 139) Implying that he is God.
• Mrs. Hearst says about Abbas Affandi \"..for surely He is the son of God and the spirit of the Father abides in Him\" (Page 162) Thus we now have both the father and son as Gods. So this is a little like the Christian Trinity where you have the Father (Bahaullah), the Son (Abbas Affandi) and the Holy Ghost (Bab).
• \'Bahaullah was exiled to Baghdad and He immortalized it as the City of God.\' (Page 70)
• \'Mirza Aga Jahan, his servant was designated as Khaadimullah (Servant of God).\' (Page 73)

The Ungodly Side of Bahaullah
Given above were the lofty positions assumed by Bahaullah. We shall now examine another aspect where this Bahai God is insulted, thrashed, humiliated abused, reviled, exiled - most unbecoming of even the pagan Gods, let alone the Bahai God. Indeed one who elevates himself to the position of Godhood and Prophethood, deserves nothing less, if not more.

We shall also see the lamenting God. The miserable side of the Bahai God, Bahaullah is exposed below

• \'Bahaullah was bastinadoed in the namaz khana of the mujtahid of Tabriz until his feet bled.\' (Page 46)
• \'The mob besieged the Governor\'s residence, pelted him with stones and hurled in his face the foulest invectives.\' (Page 46)
• \'From Niyavaran he was conducted \"on foot and in chains with bared head and bare feet exposed to the fierce rays of the midsummer sun\".\' (Page 48)
• \'Bahaullah says about Siyah-Chal \"..our fellow prisoners numbered nearly 150 souls, thieves assassins and highway men...no pen can depict that place nor any tongue describe the loathsome smell ... God alone knows what befell us in the most foul and gloomy place\".\' (Page 48)
• \'Abdul Baha says \"A heavy chain was placed around His neck by which He was chained to 5 other Babis. His clothes were torn to pieces and also his headdress. He was kept there for 4 months\".\' (Page 48)
• \'Abdul Baha saw his father when He came out so ill that He could hardly walk, His head and beard unkempt, His neck galled and swollen from the pressure of a heavy steel collar, His body bent by the weight of the chains.\' (Page 48)
• Bahaullah says about Siyah-Chal \"My God! My Master! My Desire! Thou has created this atom of dust (i.e. Bahaullah) My throat was clasped with chains and my body subjected to the abasement of the dungeon....how many nights during which the weights and the fetters allowed Me no rest. Both bread and butter have been forbidden for this servant....and they summoned this servant out of Persia at this time when the cold is so intense that one cannot even speak, and ice and snow so abundant that it is impossible to move.\" (page 69)
• \"God Himself, He (Bab) calls upon as a witness to His sighs and lamentations, His powerlessness, poverty and destitution, to the injuries He sustained, and the abasement He suffered. So grievious has been My weeping\" He says that \"I have been prevented from making mention of Thee..\"  So loud has been the voice of My Lamentation that every mother mourning for her child would be amazed and would still her weeping and her grief... I have borne what no man has borne in the past and no one will bear in the future.. Oceans of sadness have surged over Me.... such is My Grief that my soul nearly departed from My Body... The wrongs which I suffer have blotted out the wrongs suffered by My First Name (the Bab) from the Tablet of Creation.\" (Page 75)

These so-called \'lamentations\' are grossly exaggerated, especially when he claims that none in the past have suffered thus and none in the future will suffer more.  This is so very typical of Bahaullah. Any number of people before as well as after him have undergone greater trials and tribulations. Bahaullah was so distressed at having spent a few days in the Siyah-Chaal. He fought no battle like the early Muslims did at Badr, Ohad, Khyber, Khandaq, etc. Compared to the struggles of the early Muslims against the infidels, Bahaullah\'s life can be described as comfortable. This was about those before him. Even those after him have endured greater ordeals. Hapless Jews who survived Hitler\'s concentration camps have narrated tales of horror that make Bahaullah\'s lamentations seem laughable.

Anyway, there are some more noteworthy \'lamentations\'

• \'He says \"Woe to me ! Woe to me ! ..All that I have seen from the day on which I first drank the pure milk from the breast of my mother until this moment has been erased from My Memory, in consequence to that which the hands of the people have committed.\" (Page 75)

So the Bahai God was sustained by his mother\'s milk in infancy, much like me, my friends, my colleagues and the rest of the 99% world population. The only difference being that we have not claimed Godhood like Bahaullah for the simple reason that anyone who can not survive without his mother\'s milk can never be God, only an imposter. That\'s exactly what Bahaullah was. Quran says \"Allah is needless\". Self-sufficiency is the basic criterion for Godhood and mother\'s milk is in grave violation of that criterion. Besides he claims to have had his memory erased. So we have a Bahai God suffering from amnesia. More and more as one reads about Bahaullah the more one gets the impression that this God was nothing but a laughing stock.

• \'He says \"Noah\'s flood is the measure of the tears I have shed\".\' (Page 75)

Another one of his exaggerations. If his tears matched Noah\'s (PBUH) deluge then there should have been another flood.

• \'He says \"Abraham\'s fire is but an ebullition of My Soul, Jacob\'s grief is but a reflection of My Sorrows and Job\'s afflictions a fraction of My Calamity\".\' (Page 75)
• \'He says \"From the beginning of the foundation of this world until the present day, such malice and hatred have in no way appeared nor will they be witnessed in the future\".\' (Page 75)
• \'He says \"From my eyes there rained tears of anguish and in my Bleeding Heart surged an ocean of agonizing pain. Many a night I had no food for sustenance and many a day my body found no rest\".\' (Page 77)

Regardless of how hungry he was, at least he did not succumb to his hunger. Thousands of people across the world die of hunger every minute. They have suffered more than him and are therefore more worthy of being worshipped. And since when did God need nourishment and rest. Quran says about Allah \"Fatigue and sleep overcome him not\"

• \'Abdul Baha says, \"During the period Bahaullah lived in poverty. His garments were those of the poor and the needy. His food was that of the indigent and the lowly\".\' (Page 79)
• \'He says \"They expelled us from Constantinople with an abasement that no abasement on earth can compare. Neither my family nor those who accompanied Me had any protection against the cold in that freezing weather\".\' (Page 102)

Bahaullah seemed to have this penchant for describing all his tribulations as unparalleled in the history of mankind. The only thing unparalleled about him is the preposterousness of his talks.

• He says \"The cruelty inflicted by my oppressors have bowed me down and turned My Hair white. Should thou present thyself before My Throne, thou would fail to recognise the Ancient Beauty for the freshness of His Countenance is altered and its brightness has faded by reason of the oppression of the infidels\" (Page 107)
• \'Bahaullah was banished to the penal colony of Acca.\' (Page 113)

God banished!!! Ha!

• He says regarding the prison of Acca:- \"From the foundation of the world until the present day a cruelty such as this has neither been seen nor heard.\" (Page 118)

Another one of his \'never-in-the-past-never-in-the-future\' tirades

These were some instances that reveal how Bahaullah was humiliated, tormented, anguished and made to suffer intensely. All these only go to show that Bahaullah was a mere mortal, like me, my friends, my colleagues and the rest of the inhabitants of the world. Then how can such an individual claim Godhood ?  Such afflictions can affect a creature of God never the Almighty God Himself.

The Position of Abdul Baha

• Baha called him as Master, mystery of God, ...as one who is endowed with superhuman knowledge... as the stainless mirror reflecting His (Baha\'s) light...as this sacred and glorious being, this branch of Holiness...as God\'s most great bounty unto men, as His most powerful bounty conferred upon them (page 152).
• Baha says regarding Abdul Baha, whoever has turned towards him has turned towards God.... From whose tongue God will cause the signs of his power to stream forth, as the one who God has specially chosen for His Cause... as the gulf that has branched out of this ocean that has encompassed all the created things... as the one around whom all names revolve...as a shelter for mankind...as a stronghold for whoever has believed in God  (page 152)
• A little girl saw Jesus in her dream. When she saw the photograph of Abdul Baha she identified it as the Jesus she had seen in her dream. (page 182)
• A Syrian woman flung herself at the feet of Abdul Baha and said Ï confess that in Thee I have seen the spirit of God and Jesus Christ Himself. (page 182).
• Mrs Hearst, a Bahai said \"He Abdul Baha is the son of God, and the spirit of His father resides in Him. (page 162)
  Thus now even Abdul Baha is God.

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