Dissimulation in Baha’i Faith

IMRAN SHAYKH

Baha’is as is their won’t make a lot of unsubstantiated claims, like ‘the Baha’i Faith is in perfect harmony with other Divine faiths like Islam, Judaism, Christianity, etc.’, ‘....we have come to unite mankind on one platform without any bias and prejudice’, ‘...we wish to establish unity, peace and equality among the people’. These and such other statements though apparently very noble are masked with deception. To make the Baha’is as well as non-Baha’is aware of this deception was felt necessary. This article was written with this very objective in mind. Mentioned below are a series of incidents that will distinctly underline my claims. Hopefully at the end, this article will leave the reader more enlightened.

Baha’is give credence to disguising their Faith from the common gullible populace, disclosing it, only once they convert to Baha’ism. This practice is described as ‘Dissimulation’. As per principles of ‘Taqaiya’, Baha’is conceal their Faith (or are at least permitted to conceal their Faith), if it serves their interests. (This practice was actually followed in Indonesia quite successfully. But when they had got too widespread and the Government got wise they were driven out.)

Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani, one of Baha’ism’s most renowned missionaries, has written a book ‘Behjatus Sudoor’ (in Persian) in 1914 A.H. His treatise is considered noteworthy among the Baha’is. This book was written by him under explicit instructions from Abbas Affandi.. Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani is buried in Akka (the Baha’i Mecca) near Bahaullah’s tomb.

In his book (Bombay edition) he states that ‘ ...when Bahaullah sent me to Istanbul on Abdul Bahaa’s recommendation for preaching Baha’ism there he advised me “...you should meet the masses with tact and your meeting with me should be disclosed in a very nonchalant manner, so they are not alarmed. And at all times bear in mind never to disclose your wealth, your destination and your religion, and implement this till the last possibility”’

Further in his book Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani has mentioned many meetings with the populace where he has strictly abided by Bahaullah’s edict i.e. concealing the faith. I have made an attempt below wherein such incidents are mentioned that will make evident to my readers the objective behind this dissimilation

Incident 1

Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani narrates ‘When I was condemned in Egypt and the people said about me “az deene Islam kharij shudeh ast wa deene aaeene jadeedee bid’at namudeh ast” “... this man has forsaken the religion of Islam and accepted a new religion”, I wrote a letter to the police officer saying “with selfishness and the malice which they bore towards us have blamed us of following a new religion and a new book. But after a thorough scrutiny of facts, the falsehood of these accusations will be as evident for the king as the midday sun”’ (Page 107) But he himself later mentions on Page 184 ‘...it was made apparent with clear proofs (to one person) about the culmination of Islam and the advent of a new religion’. The deceit in the two statements mentioned above is also as evident as the midday sun , wherein, on one hand Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani vociferously denies his (new) faith and on the other he makes apparent to others this very (new) faith.

Incident 2

Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani narrates on page 86-88 of the same book that ‘... after I had been appointed as a missionary by Bahaullah for preaching the religion of Baha’ism and I arrived in Egypt, the Iranians protested that “you have abandoned your belief on the Finality of Prophethood (Khatame Nabuwwat) and forsaken Islam and Muslims and you preach that Muhammad (pbuh) is not the last Prophet.” Then I told them, “baraaye tabligh naya aamdeheem wa khud ra qaabile eenkeh nisbat mo’mineen een amr badheem namee daaneem ta cheh rasd bemuballageen” “....I have not come to preach Bahaism, let alone being a Bahai, I do not consider myself equal to even a simple Bahai’

Again, the doublespeak in Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani’s words is unmistakable. He denies his Baha’i inclination when he himself was appointed by Bahaullah on the counsel of Abbas Affandi as a missionary. (page 83) Then why this contradiction? This hypocrisy is in stark contrast with the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who said “Lie is the key to all evil”. No where does one find a single instance of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) or Prophet Jesus (pbuh) advising their disciples to lie about their faith to the gullible so as to spread the message of Islam or Christianity. In fact Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) used to say \"Refrain from lying even if it to your benefit, and always speak the truth even if it to your detriment\". But we find Bahaullah and his successor advocating the philosophy of \'dissimulation\' that totally contradicts the philosophy of the divine \'abrogated\' religions. An institution based on lies and deceit can hardly be expected to survive for long, even though it may seem beneficial in the short term. This is something the Baha’is must realize. Simply, increasing one’s numbers is a very short sighted approach. The Baha’is must focus more on resolving the glaring discrepancies inherent in their faith that I have mentioned in my earlier articles. They should not be too concerned about numbers. People will come to the Faith, provided the truth is with them.

Incident 3

Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani, was once called to meet the Shah of Iran, Shujaaudaulah. The latter had got wind of Baha’i activism . Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani as was his wont, did not disclose his identity. However, unable to conceal his enthusiasm, in the course of his meeting, he extolled the virtues of Akka. Shujaaudaulah, a very perceptive individual, remarked that “..unless a person is a Baha’i, he will not speak such. You are a Baha’i, however you are loathe to disclose it”. But Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani keeping Bahaullah’s admonition in mind tried to deceive the Shah by saying “agar faanee mo’min wa mo’kin ast baayad hazratash dar jameea jahaat etaa’at konam” “If I am a Baha’i and have (truely) accepted the Faith, then I must observe all the commands of Hazrat Bahaullah” (Behjatus Sudoor page 196) However by concealing his true identity (from the Shah) he has indeed observed one of the basic tenets of dissimulation laid down by Bahaullah.

Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani’s words: “We have shattered the Muslims” , coupled with the Baha’i deceit and dissimulation with the Muslims (and others) bear ample testimony to his and Bahaullah’s intentions. Baha’i missionaries then as well today, propagate with this objective. These words of Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani should serve as a warning for people across all faiths especially the Muslims. Muslim Ulamas (scholars) should take the initiative in this matter. They should study more about the Baha’i faith and launch an awareness campaign amongst the common gullible Muslims. Protecting the faith (Imaan) of common Muslims in this era from attacks of Baha’i missionaries (like Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani) is crucial.

Incident 4

Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani recounts on page 206-7 of the same book ‘...I alongwith two other Baha’is, Ghulam Hussain and Muhammad Sadiq had gathered at a place in Iran. In the morning, the Muslims had besieged the place. I handed over all the important documents regarding Baha’ism to my companions and surrendered myself to the Muslims. They took me to a house outside the city and warned me that if I do not give them all the important documents to them they would cut me into pieces. Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani deceived them by saying that “..at midnight yesterday, a man representing Shah Shujaauduallah had come, and I surrendered everything to him.” Consequently I was spared and my two companions meanwhile, also made good their escape with the documents.’

Incident 5

The Baha’is to preach their Faith among the Muslims, even go to the extent of praying ‘Namaaz’ with Muslims. This is in stark violation of the Baha’i tenet which strictly forbids a Baha’i from praying like the Muslims. Let alone ‘Namaaz’ they are not even permitted even to perform their ablutions (Wuzu) like the Muslims. This is quite evident, as Bahaullah claims to have abrogated Islam. However, Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani states in ‘Behjatus Sudoor’ (page 97) “ faanee wa Mirza Hussain Shirazi wa Darvesh Hussain sab meeaad bakhaaneh concal fateem wa nazde u wa aakhareen ham dar zaahir aadaabe Islam laahifz me namud zilm wa lu yatee bekitaabe jadeed wa shorue jadeed ra ham bedaleel aafakeeh wa anfaseeh saabit me kard”

‘One night I, Mirza Hussain Shirazi and Darvesh Hussain met at the residence of the council as planned. I used to prove the veracity of the new Book (Aqdas) and the new religion (Baha’ism) with hidden as well as apparent proofs as the religion of Islam was abrogated. However we prayed ‘Namaaz’ at the residence of the council in a manner similar to the other Muslims. And we always did this in front of others (non-Muslims) as well’

Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani and his fellow missionaries went to the extent of contravening the Baha’i principle just to convert a few Muslims. They performed an unlawful act (as per their Faith) only to get close to the Muslims. Why did they resort to such deceitful ways to propagate? Or did they believe that so long as the ends justify the means, then everything is permissible? This mode of propagation of Baha’ism is indeed strange. Never did Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) advice the missionaries to pretend to pray along with the Jews (of his time), although the Jews were Islam’s sworn enemies. He always used words of kindness and compassion with the people and attracted them towards Islam with his excellent morals.

لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ

Quran says You have indeed in the Apostle of Allah an excellent examplar..
(Ref: Holy Quran, Chapter of Ahzab, verse 21)

To the extent that even the bloodthirsty infidels used to call Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) him ‘Sadiq’ (Truthful) and ‘Amin’ (Trustworthy). Now compare this, with Bahaullah, his character, his morals and the means he has employed to propagate Baha’ism. Can anyone ever call him ‘Sadiq’ (Truthful) and ‘Amin’ (Trustworthy)?

And to think Baha’ism has come to abrogate Islam! Why are the Baha’is so insidious in their approach? If Baha’ism is such a ‘beautiful’ religion then why use such means? Why don’t they attract the people with this so called beauty? What is the need to resort to such guile? Never in the history of the Divine religions (Islam, Judaism, Christianity) was such a mode of propagation permitted. On the contrary Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and Prophet Moses (pbuh), etc. always adopted sincerity in their approach and never cared to simply enhance the strength of their followers. In fact certain prophets had only a handful of followers, inspite of preaching for hundreds of years. Adam (pbuh) had preached for 930 years and managed to gather a negligible number of followers. As it is widely known even Prophet Noah (pbuh) at the time of the deluge had only eighty companions on his ark. Noah (pbuh) had preached for 950 years. Even Prophet Abraham (pbuh) after years of preaching could muster, but a few disciples. Even Prophet Jesus (pbuh) after all his exhortations and appeals had only twelve close disciples. Yet he never adopted deception to counter the Pharisees, who were thirsty for his blood. As a matter of fact a close study of past prophets will tell us that most, if not all, had only a paltry number of followers. However none of the Prophets took recourse to such populist measures even in the face of severe persecution.

Incident 6

Besides praying ‘Namaaz’ along with the Muslims, the Bahai missionaries also employed other means such as becoming disciples/followers of renowned Muslim sages.

Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani mentions on page 27 of the same book “az Yazd be Kaashshaan wa Tehran raft wa dar Tehran bejahat satr wa hifz wa ameed wa iqbaale izhaar iradat bejanaab ustad Ghulam Rezaae Shishe gar mar shud mashur muslim namud”

‘During my journey to Iran, I traveled from Yazd to Kaashaan and from there to Tehran. In Tehran, I visited a prominent Muslim sage/soothsayer, Ghulam Reza Shishah, and entered his fold. By doing this I hoped on one hand, to conceal my identity and on the other, to convert that sage/soothsayer.’ Mirza Haider Ali Isfahani was indeed a very intelligent missionary. He realized that if he was successful in converting a prominent Muslim sage, it would only be matter of time before all the other followers/disciples followed suit. Another example of Baha’i guile. This is where the Muslim Ulamas (scholars) have to be careful. Because if even one Aalim (scholar) falls prey to such Baha’i cunning, their students/companions are most likely to emulate them. More incidents of a similar nature can be found on page 50

Incident 7

Mulla Ali Akbar was among students of Mulla Muhammad Sadiq. He was the leader (Imam-e-Jam’aat) of the mosque in Shiraz. And from the pulpit he used to announce the claim of ‘Mahdi’ of Mirza Ali Muhammad Shirazi ( Hazrat Aala). This was done with utmost discretion. Indeed what can be of greater danger to the Muslims that Baha’i propoganda is carried from their places of worship. The consummation of this dissumulation is very aptly described by Abbas Affandi in his book “Al Kaukabe Durriyah” (pg. 452) “peyusteh een taaefeh dar har dastgaahraah dashtand wa az kaar har keesi agaah budeh chandaan keh az harm saraae sultaanee har raaz nahaaee betawassit bahaaiyyaan keh dar pardeh een mastur daair medaad amur bedabd baraae ishaan makshuf meegasht”

“the result was that the Baha’is had spread their tentacles everywhere. And they were aware of everyone’s activities. To the extent that the discreet affairs of the women in the king’s harem were known to them through the Bahaais who were employed with in the palaces” This then was the extent of espionage among the Baha’is at that time. And it is shocking to say the least. And what is even more shocking is that Abdul Baha himself is the one admitting it. And he does seem to confess it without any regret or remorse. As if he was proud of the Baha’i network functioning at that time.

Dissimulation in the Sayings of Abbas Effandi (Abdul Baha)

1) In Baha’ism preaching discreetly has been emphasized to the extent that Abdul Baha has mentioned in his book ‘Makaatab’ vol. 3, pg. 327 ‘Hiding your faith has been made obligatory upon you’. Also the author of ‘Nuktatul Qaaf’, Mirza Jaani writes on pg. 211 of the same book ‘The father was concealing his faith from the son and the son from his father and the people of his house.’

2) Abbas Affandi writes in a letter to Shaykh Farjullah Zaki who was sent to Egypt for preaching ‘Bahaullah has made haraam (forbidden) the preaching of Islam in Egypt. It is required that Bahai friends keep low for a while. And even if someone questions about the Faith, they should pretend to be unaware of it.’ This letter was written on October 22, 1921

3) This decree on preaching in a concealed manner has been expressed further in no uncertain terms by Abdul Baha in his “Makaatab” vol. 3 pg. 496 to Shaikh Mohiddeen Kardi, “masaaile hakeemeh ra asaas tazkereh karaar dheed na aqaaed ra”‘..while trying to incline the thoughts (towards Bahaism), priority must be given to skills, rather than fundamentals (of the Faith).’

What can be more unsettling than a decree like this one issued by none other than the successor of Bahaullah? Again this fashion of propagation is alien to the divine faiths, where all the past prophets had emphasised strictly on fundamentals of the religion. At no point of time did the prophets ever make any concessions on the principles. They were prepared to sacrifice their lives but unprepared to comprise on the foundation of religion. Again we see that the Bahai philosophy is the exact antithesis of the Sunnah of the earlier prophets.

This, then, was the mode employed by the Baha’is to spread the Faith. And it is very much in vogue till date in certain countries, like Indonesia. And that is very disturbing. It is a cause for concern for all Muslims. As it is said a hidden enemy is more dangerous than a thousand open enemies. The objective of this article was to make evident this hidden enemy, as it is also said ‘forewarned is forearmed’.

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