In this article, the Baha’ism view has been discussed by a comparative view:  One of the leaders of the Baha’i faith is Abbas Effendi entitled Abdul Baha, the offspring of Bahaullah. After his father, he became the leader of the Baha’i community…

The following is a part of his teachings of the “Maknounat” which was published by the faith community:

Before investigating the mentioned part, the following notes are worthy to be mentioned:

1)   The legislator of the divine religions is unique. All believers of the divine religion believe that the sage God has sent down the religious laws. The holy Quran states:

شَرَعَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الدِّينِ مَا وَصَّى بِهِ نُوحًا وَالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ وَمَا وَصَّيْنَا بِهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى وَعِيسَى أَنْ أَقِيمُوا الدِّينَ وَلَا تَتَفَرَّقُوا فِيهِ كَبُرَ عَلَى الْمُشْرِكِينَ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَيْهِ الله يَجْتَبِي إِلَيْهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي إِلَيْهِ مَنْ يُنِيبُ

He hath ordained for you that religion which He commended unto Noah, and that which We inspire in thee (Muhammad), and that which We commended unto Abraham and Moses and Jesus, saying: Establish the religion, and be not divided therein. Dreadful for the idolaters is that unto which thou callest them. Allah chooseth for Himself whom He will, and guideth unto Himself him who turneth (toward Him).[1]

2)   The divine religions confirm each other. Regarding the first introduction and the history of prophets, it will be obvious that the divine religions have always confirmed the previous ones. On the other hand, the new prophet has considered his previous divine religion as correct, complete free from falsehood. In this regard, the holy Quran states:

"وَ قَفَّيْنا عَلي‏ آثارِهِمْ بِعيسَي ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ مُصَدِّقاً لِما بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ التَّوْراةِ وَ آتَيْناهُ الْإِنْجيلَ فيهِ هُديً وَ نُورٌ وَ مُصَدِّقاً لِما بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ التَّوْراةِ وَ هُديً وَ مَوْعِظَةً لِلْمُتَّقينَ"

“And We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow in their footsteps, confirming that which was (revealed) before him, and We bestowed on him the Gospel wherein is guidance and a light, confirming that which was (revealed) before it in the Torah a guidance and an admonition unto those who ward off (evil).[2]”

"وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمُهَيْمِنًاً عَلَيْهِ..."

“And unto thee have We revealed the Scripture with the truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it, and a watcher over it…[3]”

3)   The divine religions can be contradictory with each other in principles. It can’t be assumed for a prophet to be sent by God and refute the basic teachings of another one.[4]

Regarding these three introductions[5], we investigate the teachings of the Excellency Abdul Baha[6]. He has said in the collection of “Makatib”:

“God has created the world as heaven. If peace, kindness and loyalty are existent, it will be ideal and all divine blessings will be endless and the virtues of humane world will be clear and the emision of truth sun will be displayed everywhere. Pay attention to the Excellency Adam and other who were living in Paradise. As soon as a dispute happened between the Excellency Adam and the evil, all of them were expelled out of Paradise in order for mankind to take a lesson and to be aware of this issue that dispute and fighting cause disappointment even with the evil; so in this luminous world nobody must dispute and quarrel even with the evil.[7]

In this part, we are going to compare Abdul Baha’s narration with the Islamic teachings:

Part one: The adventure of Adam (P.H.)

In three parts of the holy Quran, the adventure of the Excellency Adam (P.H.) has been mentioned:

1)  The Cow Chapter, verses, 35& 36:

وَقُلْنَا يَا آدَمُ اسْكُنْ أَنْتَ وَزَوْجُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَكُلَا مِنْهَا رَغَدًا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلَا تَقْرَبَا هَٰذِهِ الشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ (35) فَأَزَلَّهُمَا الشَّيْطَانُ عَنْهَا فَأَخْرَجَهُمَا مِمَّا كَانَا فِيهِ وَقُلْنَا اهْبِطُوا بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّوَلَكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمَتَاعٌ إِلَى حِينٍ (36)

“And We said: O’ Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden, and eat ye freely (of the fruits) thereof where ye will; but come not night this tree lest ye become wrongdoers (35) but Satan caused them to deflect therefrom and expelled them from the (happy) state in which they were; and We said: Fall down, one of you a foe unto the other! There shall be for you on earth a habitation and provision for a tune (36)

2)   Chapter Al-A’araf, verses 19- 27:

“And (unto man): O’ Adam! Dwell thou and they wife in the Garden and eat from whence ye will, but come not night this tree lest ye become wrong doers. Then Satan whispered do them… Thus did he lead them on with guile. And when they tasted of the tree their shame was manifest to them… And their Lord called them, (saying): Did I not forbid you from that tree and tell you: Lo! Satan is an open enemy to you? ... O’ children of Adam! Let not Satan seduce you as he caused your (first) parents to go forth from the garden … Lo! We have made the devils protecting friends for those who believe not.”

3)   Taha Chapter, verses 117- 123:

“Therefore we said: O’ Adam! This is an enemy unto thee and unto thy wife, so let him not drive you both out of the Garden so that thou come to toil. It is (Vouchsated) unto thee that thou hungerest not therein nor art naked. And thou thirstiest not therein nor art exposed to the sun’s heat. But the Devil whispered to him, saying: O’ Adam! Shall I show thee the tree of immortality and power that wasteth not away? ... And Adam disobeyed his Lord, so went astray…”

According to what has stated if we want to histen to the adventure by the language of the holy Quran and to take lesson, the holy Quran will narrate:

First, the Almighty God mention the Excellency Adam (P.H.) that the devil is his foe:

"  فَقُلْنا يا آدَمُ إِنَّ هذا عَدُوٌّ لَكَ وَ لِزَوْجِكَ"

But the devil deceives the Excellency Adam (P.H.) and his wife:

"فَوَسوَسَ لَهُمَا الشَّیطانُ"

Then, God addresses:

" وَنَادَاهُمَا رَبُّهُمَا أَلَمْ أَنْهَكُمَا عَنْ تِلْكُمَا الشَّجَرَةِ وَأَقُلْ لَكُمَا إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمَا عَدُوٌّ مُبِينٌ"

Then, God addresses the offspring of Adam to avoid the devil:

"يَا بَنِي آدَمَ لَا يَفْتِنَنَّكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ"

This is the lesson taken by Adam’s offspring via the holy Quran.

The truth is that according to the holy Quran, the cause for the disappointment isn’t the dispute and quarrel between the Excellency Adam and the devil; but the Cause is Adam’s disobedience God’s order and the acceptence of the devil’s word. So, the Almighty God mentions after the event: “Lest I hadn’t told you that the devil is your open foe?”

It is obvious that the Excellency Abdul Baha’s view isn’t conformable with the holy Quran one.

Part (2) - Enmity with the devil

The holy Quran addresses the various groups of humane community concerning the evil’s enmity and the necessity for avoiding it.

“O’ mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and wholesome in the Earth, and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Lo! he is an open enemy for you.[8]”

“O’ ye who believe! Come, all of you, into submission (unto Him); and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Lo! he is an open enemy for you.[9]”

“And of the cattle (the produceth) some for burdens, some for food. Eat of that which Allah hath bestowed upon you, and follow not the footsteps of the devil, for lo! he is an open foe to you.[10]”

“He said: O’ my dear son! Tell not thy brethren of thy vision. Lest they plot against thee. Lo! Satan is for man an open foe.[11]”

“He said: My Lord! Lo! I have wronged my soul, so forgive me. Then, He forgave him. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.[12]”

“And if they deny thee, (O’ Muhammad), messengers (of Allah) were denied before thee. Unto Allah all things are brought back. (4) O’ mankind! Lo! The promise of Allah is true. So let not the life of the world beguile you, and let not (avowed) beguiler beguile you with regard to Allah (5) Lo! the devil is an enemy for you, so treat him as an enemy. He only summoneth his faction to be owner of the Earning Fire. (6) Those who disbelieve theirs will be an awful doom; and those who believe and do good works, theirs will be forgiveness and a great reward.[13]”

“And the trumpet is blown and lo! From the graves they hie unto their Lord, Crying: Woe upon us! Who hath raised us from our place of sleep? This is that which the Beneficent did promise, and the messengers spoke truth, It is but one Shout, and behold them brought together before Us! This day no soul is wronged in aught; nor are ye required aught save what ye used to do. Lo! those who merit paradise this day are happily employed, They and their wives, in pleasant shade, on thrones reclining; Theirs the fruit (of their good deeds) are theirs (all) that they ask; The word from a Merciful Lord (for them) is: Peace! But avaunt ye, o ye guilty, this day! Did I not charge you? O’ ye sons of Adam, that ye worship not the devil Lo! he is your open foe! But that ye worship Me? That was the right path.[14]

“And when the son of Mary is quoted as an example, behold! The folk laugh out, And say: Are our gods better, or is he? They raise not the objection save for argument. Nay! But they are a contentious folk. He is nothing but a slave on whom We bestowed favor, and we made him a pattern for the Children of Israel. And had We willed We could have set among you angels to be viceroys in the earth. And Lo! Verily is knowledge of the Hour. So doubt ye not concerning it, but follow Me. This is the right path. And let not Satan turn you aside. Lo! he is an open enemy for you. When Jesus came with clear proofs (of Allah’s sovereignty), he said: I have come unto you with wisdom, and to make plain some of that concerning which ye differ. So keep your duty to Allah, and obey me.[15]”

“And (remember) when We said unto the angels; Fall prostrate before Adam, and they fell prostrate, all save Iblis. He was of the Jinn, so he rebelled against his Lord’s command. Will ye choose him and his seed for your protecting friends instead of Me, when they are an enemy unto you? Calamitous is the exchange for evil doers.[16]”

Explaining the enmity of Satan, the commander of the faithful (P.H.) states:

So, be afraid of God’s enemy (Satan). Lest he makes you be afflicted by his pain and makes you concerned by his call and encompass and surround you by his mounted and on foot legion. I swear by my soul that he has made his evil arrow ready to shoot towards you and aimed you closely and said:

"قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأُزَيِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ"

He has mindlessly predicted about the distant future and blocked the way by unreal thought and the self-conceited offspring and party-spirit brothers and defiant riders confirmed him. So, the rebels obeyed him and his greed and covetousness stabilized in you. Then, the hidden secret was revealed. His dominance on you became strengthened and he approached his corps towards you. His troops accommodated you in abjectness caves and threw into death pits. They overwhelmed you by severe injuries, beheading, beating noses and throwing into pits because they were going to draw you towards the fire provided for you.

Thus, the devil is greater than those who are clearly your enemies to injure your religion and to is make fire in your world. So, try to remove him. I swear by God that he honored for your origin and decried your dignity and rank. He complained about your parentages and sent his riders to attack you and to block your way. They make you trapped everywhere and you can’t ward off their mischieves; while you are afflicted by helplessness, abjectness, calamity, tightness and death…[17]”

According to the above-mentioned examples, it can be certainly said that the Al-mighty God has mentioned the devil’s enmity since the beginning of creation:

"  فَقُلْنا يا آدَمُ إِنَّ هذا عَدُوٌّ لَكَ وَ لِزَوْجِكَ"

Then, God has mentioned Adam’s offspring:

"یَا بَنی آدَمَ لَا یَفتِنَنَّکُمُ الشَّیطانُ"

This reality would be mention in the next eras:

In the Excellency Moses’s era:

" قَالَ هَذَا مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ مُضِلٌّ مُبِينٌ"

In the Excellency Yousof’s era:

" إِنَّ الشَّيْطانَ لِلْإِنْسانِ عَدُوٌّ مُبِينٌ"

In Jesus Christ’s era:

"و لَا يَصُدَّنَّكُمُ الشَّيْطانُ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُبِينٌ"

In the religion of the holy prophet (P.H.):

" يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً وَ لا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُواتِ الشَّيْطانِ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُبِينٌ‌"

Consequently, in all divine religions, the devil is the enemy of Adam’s offspring and he was avoided by God. No Muslim person can assume this enmity to be finished.

It is narrated by Bab:

" يا عباد الرّحمن ادخلوا في هذا الباب كافّةً ولا تتّبعوا خطوات الشّيطان فانّه يأمركم بالشّرك والفحشاء وانّه قد كان لكم عدوّا مبينا[18]"

And it is also narrated by the Excellency Bahaullah:

" طوبی لمن سمع ندآء الرّحمن و اتّخذه لنفسه معیناخ ویل لمن اعرض و کان

عن شطر القرب بعیداً. یا قوم اتّقوا اللّه و لا تتّبعوا الّذي کفر بالرّحمن انّه کان لکم عدوّا مبیناً[19]"

Question: What should be done against this open enemy?

Answer: The obedience of God is enmity against the devil. It is even observable in the Baha’i texts:

"قال یا قوم اذکرکم لوجه اللّه و ما ارید منکم جزآء انّ اجري الّا علی اللّه الّذي فطرنی و بعثنی بالحقّ و جعلنی ذکراً للخلائق اجمعین. ان اسرعوا الی منظر اللّه و مقرّه و لا تتّبعوا الشّیطان فی انفسکم انّه یأمرکم بالبغی و الفحشآء و یمنعکم عن الصراط الّذي نصب فی العالم بهذا الامر المبرم الحکیم[20]"

" انّ الّذین ضیّعوا الامر و توجّهوا الی الشّیطان اولئک لعنهم کلّ الاشیاء و اولئک اصحاب السعیر[21]"

" کن مستقیماً علی حبّ اللّه علی شأن لایمنعک نعاق کلّ شیطان رجیم. انّه یلهم اولیآئه کما الهم فی القرون الاولی تجنّب عنه و توکّل علی الغفور الکریم[22] "

Eventually, the question is: According to the modern teachings, how can’t this open enemy be quarreled and obey God’s orders?

Summary:

According to the story of the Excellency Adam’s (P.H.) descent, it can be concluded that fighting with the devil hasn’t caused disappointment.

Concerning the new teaching of the new religion, it should be said that the teaching of quitting quarrel and fighting against the devil can’t be conformable with the teaching of the divine religions and the Baha’i texts.[23]