Justifying the contradiction between Bab’s claim for being illiterate and his being learned, Fadhel Mazandaranisays:

 1) Being illiterate means not measuring various sciences and

2) The title being illiterate has been used by the Shiite scholars to attribute it to Sheikism. While, this definition is contradictory with the one that is used by the Baha’i leaders.

Fadhel Mazandarani had found out that (he was one of the known proselytizers of Baha’ism) there is a contradiction between the claim for Ali Muhammad Bab (Babism and Baha’ism leader) to be illiterate and his confession to be learned. He justifies in his book Asrarul Athar to change the meaning of being illiterate and to convey this meaning in minds that attributing the title of being illiterate to Bab is a kind of likening him to prophet not the fact that Bab is really illiterate.

In this way, he has claimed that 1) Bab doesn’t mean he is illiterate because he hasn’t participated in any class; but he means he hasn’t learned scientific educations continually 2) Bab was illiterate because he was close to the Sheikism scholars because according to Imamate scholars and Shiite source of religious authority, Sheikism and their followers were illiterate and uneducated.[1]

However, these justifications aren’t acceptable due to three reasons:

1)   Defining being illiterate in the beginning of discussion, Fadhel Mazandarani says: “Being illiterate means being uneducated … In the holy Quran, the holy prophet and Arab nation are called so…[2]” however, he presents a new meaning of being illiterate. Consequently, this Baha’i proselytizer is contradictory in his statements, because he considers Bab’s being illiterate as the same as that of the holy prophet (P.H.)[3] and then he assumes the meaning of Bab’s being illiterate as different from other prophets.

2)   In the book “Sahifeh Adlieh”, he has defined being illiterate as the meaning of the lack of being learned by anybody else[4]. Also, Abdul Baha has defined Bab’s being illiterate as the same meaning of not going to any school and not being learned by anybody else.[5]” now, if we accept the new meaning of being illiterate offered by Fadhel Mazandarani, we must consider Bab and Abdul Baha as liars and if we don’t, we mustn’t accept Fadhel Mazandarani’s historical documentations!

3)   Being illiterate can be a reason for the truth of claiming for prophethood when being illiterate means not going to school and that person possesses right sciences and knowledge free from contradictions and scientific mistakes in order for his claiming for being related to the divine science to be acceptable. So, even we accept Fadhel Mazandarani’s justifications concerning Bab’s being illiterate, another insolvable problem will be arisen and it will be Bab’s scientific and literary mistakes which are contradictory with his divine science.[6]