Not long ago, when u encountered with the Baha’ism organization proselytizer who was claiming for seeking for reality and shouting the slogan of Baha’ism independence, I reminded him that the Baha’i leaders have emphasized on their followers to be sheep in two places:
1) The Baha’ism leaders have called their followers as sheep[1] to show their unconditional obedience of the forged creed of Baha’ism and its ruling organization. As the self-proclaimed prophet of Baha’ism has blocked the way for any sort of opposition against himself:
“لَو یحکم عَلی المَاءِ حُکم الخَمر و عَلی السَماءِ حُکمَ الأرض و عَلی النُورِ حُکمَ النَّآر حقٌ لارَیبَ فِیه و لَیسَ لِأحَدٍ أن یَتَعَرَّضَ عَلَیه أو یَقُول لِمَ و بِمَ و الَّذی إعتَرَضَ إنَّهُ مِنَ المُعترِضین”[2]
2) Another place where the Baha’ism leaders have intrigued their followers to be sheep is an approach through which they encounter their tyrant and aggressive lords. As Abdul Baha advises his followers to be obedient like sheep when they encounter the aggressive and the tyrant: “If a tyrant tyrannizes you, and attacks like a wild wolf, the divine disciples must be surrendered like sheep and mustn’t resist; but they must counter sword with nectar and milk. They must suffer the injuries and kiss the killers’ hands and sacrifice in the divine path. They must ask God for the forgiveness for the tyrant person.[3]”
However; as usual, the Baha’i proselytizer had been unable to answer back concerning the Baha’ism leaders approach regarding calling the Baha’is as sheep and had evaded to discuss. He sent the photos of several Shia youth and claimed for several Shias to call themselves as the Household of the prophet’s (peace be upon them) dogs. Using this excuse, he was continuously calling Shias as dogs.
Answer:
The behaviors of several Shia’s youth to liken themselves as dogs of Aba Abdullah Al-Hussein (P.H.) doesn’t mean the holy Imams (peace be upon them) have called their followers as dogs, but they have sought for real Shias to be the honest and sincere followers of God after recognizing their dignities as the God’s caliphs on Earth. Because human being is a creature created by God in the best conditions:
“وَ لَقَدْ کَرَّمْنا بَني آدَمَ [اسراء/70]”
“Verily We have honored the children of Adam.”[Al-Isra/70]
Consequently, the holy Quran emphasizes the faithful not to humiliate each other and not to call each using bad names and titles:
“يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا لا يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌ مِنْ قَوْمٍ... [حجرات/11]”
“O’ ye who believe, Let not a folk deride a folk…” [Al-Hujurat/11]
Consequently, as God isn’t satisfied with the faithful to humiliate each other and call themselves using hideous names, certainly if a person call him/herself using hideous name and title and makes himself and his school to be humiliated, his/her action won’t be accepted.[4]
3) According to the Baha’i proselytizer if in some religions the prophets are likened to shepherd and the followers to sheep, it will merely be done for the characteristics like being obedience but it is different from the Baha’ism case.
4) It is interesting to be known that the Baha’i proselytizers misuses the behaviors of some ignorant Shia youth as an excuse to insult and to call Shias as dogs while Dr. Habib Moayyed (one of the know authors and proselytizers of Baha’ism) calls all Baha’is as the dogs of Abdul Baha gloriously in his book called Habib’s memoirs printed by the Baha’ism organization[5].
[1] The collection of incarnations of the Excellency the guardian of God’s faith, p. 27: narrated by the cyberspace page of the Baha’is of Iran and the world
[2] Hussein Ali Nouri, Ishraqat, 295 pages, Bita, Bina, p. 58.
[3] Abbas Effendi, Makatib, Egypt: attempted by Farajullah Zakiul Kurdi, 1921 A.D., 1st edition, Vol. 3, p. 123.
[4] Refer to Great Schoar Tabatabaee, the translation of Al-Mizan interpretation, Vol. 18, p. 481.
[5] Habib Moayyed, Habib’s memoirs, Vol. 1, p. 46.