Source of the Bab\'s Knowledge

By : Imran Shaykh

Baha’is believe that the Bab, Baha’u’llah, and Abdul Baha were divinely inspired and received knowledge directly from God. For instance this is how Baha’u’llah claims he received divine knowledge: Whenever We desire to quote the sayings of the learned and of the wise, presently there will appear before the face of thy Lord in the form of a tablet all that which hath appeared in the world and is revealed in the Holy Books and Scriptures.

Likewise, as we already mentioned, Abdul Baha claims: I do not know everything. But when I need to know something, it is pictured before me.

Baha’is claim that these figures never attended school and didn’t receive education like other people. As we will show these claims are baseless.

The Bab’s Education
Abdul Baha says: It was universally admitted by the Shi’is that He had never studied in any school and had not acquired knowledge from any teacher; all the people of Shiraz bear witness to this.

Abdul Baha’s claims that \"it was universally admitted by the Shi’is that He had never studied in any school,\" this universal admittance has not been verified to date and there exists no document that we know of that can even partially show this admission. On the contrary, it is nearly universally admitted by Baha’is and non-Baha’is alike that the Bab had studied in school. We will present here only a few samples from the many recorded documents on this matter.

Fazil Mazandarani mentions that he was taught both reading and writing at the school of Shaykh Abid. He also mentions that he had attended Sayyid Kazim Rashti’s classes in Karbala and had taught from him the works of Suyuti and Hashiyyi Mulla `Abdullah. This is further verified by two documents in which the Bab refers to Sayyid Kazim as his teacher.

In another document it is narrated from Haji Sayyid Jawad that: One day I was in the Khal’s (the Bab’s uncle) house when I saw that his highness (the Bab) returned from school while he was holding some papers. I asked him, \"What are these?\" He replied with a weak whisper, \"These are my homework (or calligraphy practices).\"

Esslemont too admits that the Bab had received education at school: In childhood He learned to read, and received the elementary education customary for children.

He then continues in the footnote: On this point a historian remarks: \"The belief of many people in the East, especially the believers in the Bab (now Baha’is) was this: that the Bab received no education, but that the Mullas, in order to lower him in the eyes of the people, declared that such knowledge and wisdom as he possessed were accounted for by the education he had received. After deep search into the truth of this matter we have found evidence to show that in childhood for a short time he used to go to the house of Shaykh Muhammad (also known as Abid) where he was taught to read and write in Persian. It was this to which the Bab referred when he wrote in the book of Bayan: ‘O Muhammad, O my teacher! . . . ’\"

The last sentence which Esslemont has replaced with three periods refers to what the Bab had written in the Arabic Bayan. We have previously cited a section of this quote: Say O Muhammad, my teacher. Do not hit me before my age finishes five even for a moment for my heart is very very soft. After that discipline me but not more than I can bear. If you want to hit me do not [hit me] more than five times. And do not hit me on my flesh (lahm) unless there is a covering over it. If you exceed [these guidelines] your wife will be illegal for you for nineteen days. If you forget and if you don’t have a companion, then you must give in charity for every beating nineteen mithqals of gold if you want to be faithful. And do not hit but very very softly. And you must place the children on a throne, seat, or stool because [the time they are sitting there] will not be calculated as their age and you must allow them to do what makes them happy. And you must teach me the Shikastih handwriting for that is what God loves and has made the gateway to His soul . . .

Pay attention to the first sentence in which the Bab refers to that person as his teacher, and to the sentence in which the Bab is clearly asking the teacher to teach him: \"And you must teach me the Shikastih handwriting.\" Do these words show anything but the fact that the Bab was schooled?

Nabil Zarandi claims that the Bab studied at school for five years: The Bab was six or seven years of age when He entered the school of Shaykh Abid. The school was known by the name of \"Qahviyih-Awliya.\" The Bab remained five years at that school where He was taught the rudiments of Persian.

To cover-up this fact, it is claimed in this book that the Bab was forced to go to school and didn’t need to be educated, although the previous examples we mentioned clearly show the contrary. It is even claimed that he had shown super-human wisdom at the school: \" . . . Day after day He continued to manifest such remarkable evidences of superhuman wisdom as I am powerless to recount.\" At last His uncle was induced to take Him away from the school of Shaykh Abid, and to associate Him with himself in his own profession. There, too, He revealed signs of a power and greatness that few could approach and none could rival.

The validity of the claims about the Bab’s super human knowledge and inspirations can be verified by studying his beliefs and writings mentioned earlier in this book. As usual, Nabil Zarandi’s historical accounts go against established facts. As we previously mentioned, Nabil himself should be looked at with skepticism, because he had falsely claimed that he was the One Who God Would Make Manifest.

Anyway, what is important here is that in contrast to what Abdul Baha claimed, the Bab had attended school.

Abdul Baha’s challenge is even more interesting: \"all the people of Shiraz bear witness to this.\" These words were uttered by Abdul Baha between the years 1904 - 1906 (let us use the average 1905). The Bab was born in the year 1819 and had reached the age of schooling by 1825. What Abdul Baha is saying is this: all the people in Shiraz bear witness to what happened 80 (1905-1825 = 80) years ago! Most - if not all - the people who might have witnessed the Bab’s schooling were definitely dead when Abdul Baha had put forward this challenge. Now let us read Abdul Bahas sentence again:

(1) It was universally admitted by the Shi’is that (2) He had never studied in any school and (3) had not acquired knowledge from any teacher; (4) all the people of Shiraz bear witness to this.

Is it an exaggeration to say that Abdul Baha has uttered four lies in a single sentence?

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