Download of Baha`i Writings

Baha’is
Babis: Azalis and Two Baha’i Groups ......................2
Background on Islam .............................................2
Background on Shi’ite Islam .................................2
Babis, Forerunners of Baha’is and Azalis .............2
Azalis .....................................................................3
Baha’u’llah and his Problems ................................3
Baha’u’llah’s Successors .......................................3
The Importance of the Baha’i Calendar .................3
Baha’i Teaching on God ........................................3
Which of God’s Personalities Do You Want to
Believe Today? ......................................................4
First Baha’i Answer: “Progressive” Revelation
(a.k.a. Cyclical Revelation)....................................4
Second Baha’i Answer: Corrupted Words ............5
Conclusion .............................................................5
Sharing the Gospel with Baha’is ...........................5
Who is the Successor of the Bab??? .........................7
Examples of the Bab’s Writing .............................7
The Alleged Successors .........................................7
Feuds and Murders Over Succession .....................7
The Bab’s Last Will and Testament ......................8
A Baha’i View .......................................................8
The Bab’s View .....................................................8
The Ithna’Ashariyya Shi’ite Muslim View............8
The Sunni Muslim View of Baha’is ......................8
The Christian View of Baha’is ..............................9
A Jewish View of Baha’is .....................................9
Will the Real Prophet Please Stand Up? ...............9
Life and Teaching ..................................................9
Miracles .................................................................9
Prophecy about Him ..............................................9
Prophecies He Made ............................................10
Testimony and Life of Witnesses ........................10
Conclusion ...........................................................11
How Baha’is Can Agree with Christianity, by
Redefining the Terms ..............................................12
Christ is the Only Way to God.............................12
The Incomparable Christ - Really Less than
Baha’u’llah ..........................................................12
The Resurrection of Christ – No Bodily
Resurrection .........................................................12
They Believe the Trinity – No They Deny the
Christian Trinity...................................................13
They Believe the Bible - But not What It Says ....13
Belief in Evil and Satan - But not the being of
Satan ....................................................................13
Verses to Share with Baha’is ...............................13
Other Groups Calling Themselves Baha’is .........14
A Manifestation, but not an Incarnation of God . 14
Was the Baha’u’llah Called the Mahdi? ............. 15
Prayers to Baha’u’llah as well as God? .............. 15
How Baha’is Bend the Bible .................................. 16
Index of Baha’i Writings ........................................ 22
Notes on Baha’u’llah and the New Era .............. 22
Notes on Some Answered Questions - Unfinished
............................................................................ 25
Notes on The Glory of Christ: A Baha’i Testimony
............................................................................ 27
List of References................................................... 28
List of References by Baha’is ............................. 28
Other References on Baha’is .............................. 28
Selected List of References on Islam .................. 28
The word bab, meaning “gate”, is a religious
concept in many Shi’ites, and many have claimed to
be the Bab. “I [Mohammed] am the City of
Knowledge and ‘Ali is its Gate (Bab).” Al-Hakim alMustadrak. vol.3 p.126-127 quoted from
Introduction to Shi’i Islam p.14. Another early
claimant was Muhammad ibn Nusayr an-Namiri
(c.850 A.D.), who called himself the Gate (Bab) to
Truth. ‘Alawite Muslims believe there were many
Babs, the seventh being Saliman al-Farisi, a
companion of Mohammed’s.
Babis: Azalis and
Two Baha’i Groups
Azalis and Baha’is are similar religions that try to
unify religion by accepting the teachings of Krishna,
Zoroaster, Moses, Mohammed, and Jesus. They
came from Islam, claim to follow Mohammed, but
do not claim to be Muslim. First we will see some
background on Islam, especially the Shi’ite branch,
and then a brief sketch of Babism. We will look
briefly at Azalis, and then concentrate more on
Baha’is, their contradictions, and why they need to
leave and come to know the real Jesus.
Babis, Forerunners of Baha’is and Azalis
The Babis (pronounced like “bobbies”) came out
the Shi’ite Shayki movement when Siyyed Ali
Muhamed of Shiraz in southern Iran, a descendant of
Mohammed born in 1819/1821, claimed to the Bab
ul-Bab (Gate of Gates), or forerunner to the hidden
(12th) imam. He claimed this on a pilgrimage to
Mecca in 1844 A.D.. The Bab wrote many works;
but his revelations are recorded in The Book of
Bayan. He taught brotherly love, cleanliness,
education, more freedom for women, and no begging
or alcohol.
Background on Islam
Islam has great respect for Jesus, but apart from a
few things in the Qur’an, Mohammed claimed Jesus
said Muslims cannot point to any of Jesus’ words
that they follow. Why is this? A major reason is that
they say the Bible has been corrupted and was no
longer reliable; they say a new prophet was needed.
The Bab taught that that many things were just
figurative. For example, resurrection simply means
spiritual awakening from ignorance, heedlessness,
and lust. The Day of Judgment was the time when
people would hear of and individually accept or
reject the new manifestation. Paradise is the joy of
knowing and loving God through His Manifestation.
Hell is being deprived of that knowledge and loss of
eternal favor. He definitely declared that these terms
have no real meaning apart from this; and that the
prevalent ideas regarding the resurrection of the
material body, a material heaven and hell, and the
like, are mere figments of the imagination. He taught
that man has a life after death, and that in the
afterlife progress towards perfection is limitless.
Muslims agree with Christians that Jesus will
return from heaven, but they deny that He really died
on the cross. Rather God miraculously switched
another, and Jesus secretly disappeared.
Background on Shi’ite Islam
The savage civil war between the caliph ‘Ali and
the following caliph Mu’awiyah, the martyrdom of
Husain at Karbala and subsequent behavior of the
caliph Yezid, remind Shi’ites of their view of the
Sunni corruption of the caliphate. Not only that, but
they distrust the Sunni traditions of the prophet in
the hadiths. Shi’ites have a great deal of respect for
Mohammed, but believe that an imam is required to
show the truth and interpret it correctly.
Among the more interesting teachings of the
Bayan in 8:14 is that the Bab commands his
followers to recite 700 verses of the Bayan every
twenty-four hours. (http://bahailibrary.com/unpubl.articles/walbridge.panj.html)
Baha’is see no need to follow this today.
Shi’ites split over who the successor to the sixth
imam was. Should it be the younger brother Musa alKazim, since the older brother, Isma’il was (very
disputably) a drinker of alcohol? A minority today,
called 7’ers (Isma’ilis) went with Isma’il, but a
majority today, called 12’ers (Ithna’ashariyya), went
with al-Kazim and his descendants down to the 12th
imam.
The Bab was arrested, and the Babis started a
rebellion in Persia. In the battles of Shaykh Tabarsi,
Nayriz, and a fortress in Zanjan many of the Babi
leaders, and 2,000 to 3,000 Babis were killed.
Baha’is claim 20,000, but academic scholars such as
Dennis MacEoin deny this. After the battles, the
Turkish government executed the Bab by firing
squad on July 9th, 1850 A.D. In 1852 a Babi tried to
However, the 12th imam mysteriously disappeared,
with no clear successor. 12’er Shi’ites believe he did
not die but was miraculously taken up to heaven, and
at the end times he will return, before Jesus does.
2
shoot the Shah, and the Shah retaliated against the
Babis.
as 12th imam returned as well as Christ returned.
Baha’u’llah wrote the Tablet of Ishraqat, the Tablet
of Tarazat, and Book of Aqdas (Lawb-i-Aqdas) –
addressed to Christians.
Baha’is say that both the Bab and Baha’u’llah were
manifestations of God, and three of the twelve
Baha’i feasts commemorate events in the Bab’s life.
However, the Bab declared that he was the Mahdi,
while Baha’ullah declared he was the Mahdi.
The Bab appointed Subh-i Azal as his successor, not
Baha’ullah. Also, the Bab said a new manifestation
would not arrive for 1,000 years, not 19 years.
Azalis
After the Babi was killed in 1850, at least seven
men claimed to be his successor as “One whom God
should manifest”. Almost all Babis initially followed
Mirza Yahya Nuri Subh/Sobh al-Azal (c.1830-1912)
for 13 years. He had a will from the Bab showing
him as his chosen successor. (Subh al-Azal means
dawn of eternity.) Al-Azal advocated dissimulation
(deceiving others about what they believed) instead
of conflict. His group is called Azalis.
Baha’u’llah’s Successors
After Baha’u’llah died, his oldest son ‘Abdu’lBaha ‘Abbas (=Abbas Effendi) (5/23/1844-1921)
took over. He was born on Tehran on the same night
the Bab revealed himself. His oldest grandson,
Shoghi Effendi Rabbani (1897-1957) succeeded him.
After him, the Baha’is were led by a council called
the International House of Justice. However, a group
now called the Orthodox Baha’i Faith split off,
saying the successor was not a council but Mason
Remey. Beckwith says the other beliefs of the two
Baha’i groups’ are almost identical.
After 13 years, a second faction, Baha’i, was
started by al-Azal’s older half-brother Husayn ‘Ali
Nuri Baha’ (1817-1892), who 6 years later claimed
himself as Baha’u’llah. Some Baha’is said the Bab
appointing al-Azal as the successor was just a tactic
to deflect the government away from Husayn.
However the government exiled both and treated
both generously.
In a thousand or more years Baha’u’llah claimed
another Manifestation will appear, under the shadow
of Baha’u’llah, with clear proofs of His mission, but
until then the words of Baha’u’llah, Abdu’l-Baha
and the Guardian and the decisions of the
International House of Justice constitute the
authorities to which all believers must turn for
guidance. No Bahá’í may found a school or sect
based on any particular interpretation of the
teachings or any supposed divine revelation. Anyone
contravening these injunctions is considered a
“covenant-breaker.”
http://bahai-library.com/books/new.era/8.html
While the Bab taught Jihad was OK, and
Baha’u’llah rejected Jihad, Baha’u’llah urged his
followers to be violent against their enemies. The
government exiled both groups to different places.
The Azalis were taken to Cyprus while the Baha’is
were taken to Acre in Palestine. Right after this, a
large number of Azali leaders were assassinated.
(defunct link) www
geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5111/mirza.html
11/13/2004
See Denis MacEoin, “Divisions and Authority
Claims in Babism (1850-1866).” Studia Iranica 18,
1 (1989):93-129 for more on alleged Baha’i
assassinations of Azalis.
The Importance of the Baha’i Calendar
Baha’is teach that “in the not far distant future it will
be necessary that all peoples in the world agree on a
common calendar.” The Baha’i year has 19 months
of 19 days each (= 361 days). The also add four to
five intercalary days between the eighteenth and
nineteenth months in order to adjust the calendar to
the solar year. The Bahá’í New Year starts the same
as the Persian New year at the March equinox.
Baha’u’llah and his Problems
While there are only a few thousand Azalis in Iran
today, the New 20th Century Encyclopedia of
Religious Knowledge estimates there were 1.3 to 2
million Baha’is in 1991. Many Jews had become
Baha’is in Iran under the Shah. Many of them were
killed under Khomeini. There are about 100K U.S.
Baha’is, in ~1,000 congregations. There are many
Baha’is in India.
Baha’i Teaching on God
Baha’i Beliefs on God
● Major world religions are from God: Judaism,
Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism
● Revere Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Mohammed,
Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, the Bab, and Baha’u’llah.
● The prophets were infallible, but the teaching of
all but the last two are mainly lost or corrupted
Baha’is follow and worship Baha’u’llah, who was
born in Persia (today’s Iran) in 1817 and died in
Palestine in 1892. In 1863, nineteen years after the
Bab revealed himself, Baha’u’llah revealed himself
3
● The next prophet will only come after 1,000 years
● All should worship the manifestation of God.
● Baha’u’llah is the manifestation of God now.
● Evolution is the way God created everything
● Evil only exists as a lack or deprivation of good.
Anti-Christian Teaching
● Most of the true teaching of Jesus was lost
● Most of the Bible is just figurative, including
Heaven, Hell, resurrection, Christ’s return, etc.
● Jesus is not God incarnate; the Trinity is not true
● All are not separated from God by their sin
● Jesus is not the only way to God
● Jesus did not die for sins; he was not resurrected
● No need to follow Jesus as your Lord and Savior
● Dissimulation when persecuted to conceal beliefs.
● Legalism: Must follow the new, Baha’i calendar
Baha’i Practices
● All religions of the world should unite.
● Isolate from Azalis, Orthodox Baha’is, ex-Baha’is
● Prayer is conversation with God (like Christianity)
● All should speak one language, such as Esperanto
● Dead people can speak telepathically with us
● No fighting except multi-national vs. oppressors
● No intoxicants or alcohol, except for medical need
● Cleanliness and education are important
● No gambling, but other games of chance are OK
Anti-Catholic Teaching
● Popes shed innocent blood, opposed knowledge
Which of God’s Personalities Do You
Want to Believe Today?
Anti-Hindu and Anti-Buddhist Teachings
● Most teaching of Krishna and Buddha was lost
● One God; worshipping idols is wrong
● No reincarnation. Pantheism is wrong
● No professional priesthood (no Brahmins)
● All people are equal, and should be under one
government (against the caste system)
What kind of god would allow his people (Hindus)
to think his prophet wanted them to various idols,
and yet command his people (Muslims) to kill
idolators!
What kind of god would “reveal” that Allah has
people’s skins burned off in Hell, and then gives
them new skins to be burned off again, and then
Baha’u’llah says that heaven and hell are just
metaphors for the benefits of spiritual education vs.
the deprivations of spiritual ignorance?
Anti-Islam Teaching
● Most of the teaching of Mohammed was lost
● All the Qur’an says about Heaven, Hell,
resurrection, Christ’s return, is only figurative
● God is a Father. Christ called the Son of God.
● Mohammed was not the final prophet
● Hajj Pilgrimage to Mecca is not needed
● There is no need for ritual prayer five times a day
● People should not be under Sharia Law
● Slavery today is wrong
● Women do not need veils. However, wear them in
strict Islamic lands to avoid problems. Monogamy
● Equality of men and women. (i.e. women are not
deficient in religion, intelligence, but should have
equality in law courts, divorce, etc.)
● No Jihad (differ from Babis here)
● Have a will, but give inheritance as you wish
(Muslims have rules how they have to do it)
● Umayyads (first caliphs) were the Rev 11 beast
who opposed the religion of Mohammed and ‘Ali
● The Bab and Baha’u’llah were born in Shi’ite
Persia, because that was one of the most
religiously backward places in the world then.
What kind of god would tell us salvation is within
you (Buddha), no one comes to the Father except
through Jesus (Jesus), God is not a father and has no
son (Mohammed in the Qur’an).
What kind of god would have Jesus return back just
the way he ascended in the clouds (Acts 1:9-11 and
Revelation 1:7), yet Baha’u’llah is Christ returned?
What kind of god commands us to “love our enemies
and pray for those who persecute us” (Mt. 5:44-45;
Luke 6:27-38), “forgive 70 times 7 (Mt. 18:21-22),
vs. “curse the Christians” (Mohammed near the end
of his life in Bukhari vol.1 book 8 no.427 p.255) vs.
wage Jihad against the Muslim Persians (the Bab)?
Many more examples can be given, but I hope you
get the point. Some might think the god of Bahai’s
suffers from multiple personality disorder!
Muslims would generally say Baha'i teachings are
not only wrong, but Baha'i teachings about
Mohammed misrepresent Islam. See
http://www.bahaiawareness.com for an in depth
study of inconsistencies in Babism and the Baha’i
Faith - from material sourced from their own books.
First Baha’i Answer: “Progressive”
Revelation (a.k.a. Cyclical Revelation)
Baha’is have an answer for this, called progressive
revelation. Similar to Muslims, they believe a
prophet can restrict, relax, or otherwise change a
command from a previous prophet.
Anti-Jewish Teaching
● Most of the true teaching of Moses was lost
● Jesus was virgin-born and a true prophet of God
● Prophet like Jesus can abrogate previous teachings
4
about 117-138 A.D. We also have the corroborating
testimony of the early church writers, starting with
Clement of Rome in 97/98 A.D.. We even have the
heretic Tatian, who c.170 A.D. quoted verbatim 73%
of the gospels in his work, the Diatessaron. (It does
does not contain any additional material either.)
However, “progressive” is a misnomer. Jewish and
Christian women did not have to wear veils, free
Muslim women all did, and Baha’i women do not.
Perhaps “cyclical revelation” is a more appropriate
term. Likewise, the Jews had many dietary
restrictions, including pork and camel meat, the
Christians were loosed from dietary restrictions, and
the Muslims have some dietary restrictions (no pork,
but camel meat is OK.).
In the Qur’an Sura 5:46-48 says that Jesus
confirmed the Torah and the Gospels. In the gospels
Jesus also affirmed the Old Testament of His time.
We have many copies of the Old Testament from
Jesus time among the Dead Sea Scrolls, and they
show that the Old Testament has been reliably
preserved today.
Likewise the Baha’i God flip-flopped on divorce.
Divorce was permitted for any cause in the Old
Testament, because people’s hearts were hard. Jesus
forbade divorce except for unfaithfulness. Yet
Muslim men can divorce as they please. So if Baha’i
were true, revelation is really cyclical, not
progressive.
Conclusion
Just as Shi’ites claim Mohammed’s words and
traditions are not enough, a more modern prophet is
needed, Baha’is say that all previous revelations
should be recast in the light of Baha’u’llah.
Second Baha’i Answer: Corrupted Words
Baha’is give a second, complementary answer:
most of the words or the previous prophets were lost
and corrupted. Thus anything that disagrees with the
teaching of the Bab and Baha’u’llah that was not
simply abrogated, is a corruption.
Just as Muslims respect Jesus, but say the surviving
words of all previous prophets are gross corruptions
of what they originally said, Baha’is say the same
about all previous prophets including Mohammed.
There are two problems with their answer: the Bab
wrote after the printing press and Baha’u’llah
contradicts what he said that the 12th imam will not
appear for 1,000 years. This is no mere abrogation of
a command: this makes the Bab’s prophecy a lie.
But if the previous teachings were not totally
corrupted, then the Baha’i religion falls. But even so,
we should not harm or otherwise persecute Baha’is.
God does not want us to harm or persecute anybody
else who is of a different religion; we should have
dignity and respect for all people, because all are
made in the image of God. Likewise we are not to
hate Baha’is, as Jesus taught us not to hate anybody.
A second problem is this: what if we had strong
evidence of the reliability of the Old Testament, New
Testament, as well as the vast majority of the
Qur’an? Then this Baha’i defense would also fall.
Sharing the Gospel with Baha’is
Let’s start with the Qur’an and work backwards.
Baha’is already believe the truth that God is One and
idolatry is wrong. But ask a Baha’i, if God really did
mean to tell us something literally, such as Heaven
and Hell are real destinations, how would they
know? Would inconsistencies of Baha’u’llah to
previous prophets tip them off? Would the testimony
of thousands of Christian martyrs, who died for their
faith rather than practice dissimulation be a witness
to them? How would they hear?
While the Qur’an was collected after Mohammed’s
death, Sahih Muslim (vol.2:2286 p.500,501) says
that one sura was lost, and the Qur’an of Ibn Masu’d
did not have three Suras, and ‘Ubai bin Ka’b’s
Qur’an did not have many suras, we can know that
most of the suras belonged there based on the quotes
and paraphrases in the hadiths and early Muslim
historians. Even if parts of the Qur’an were not
preserved correctly, much of it undoubtedly was.
There are many parts in the Qur’an about waging
Jihad against infidels
The Sunni hadiths written 200 years later, and
early Muslim historians confirm much of the
doctrine of Islam (though not every detail of the
Qur’an). Let’s look at the gospels.
God is the God of truth, and God does not lie
(Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29). Yet people are
sinful and lie, including many who have lied about
God. Many claimed to be the rightful successor to
the Bab, and Shi’ites say both the Bab and
Baha’u’llah being the 12th imam are lies. How do
you judge the truthfulness of a claim, and how does
your standard of judgment apply to Baha’u’llah?
We have manuscripts of most of the gospels from
150-200 A.D., with the John Rylands fragment from
In Matthew 24:4-5 “Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that
no one deceives you. For many will come in my
5
name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive
many.’” Revelation 1:7 says, “Behold, He is coming
with clouds, and every eye will see him, even they
who pierced him. And all the tribe of the earth will
mourn because of him. Even so, Amen.” (NKJV) Did
every eye see Baha’u’llah? Atheists used to scoff at
this verse, saying it was impossible for everyone to
see Jesus at once since the earth was round. - Of
course that was before TV. Only an extremely small
percentage of the people of the earth saw
Baha’u’llah.
“Now when He [Jesus] had spoken these things,
while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud
received Him out of their sight. And while they
looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up,
behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand
gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was
taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like
manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:911 (NKJV)
You have to make a decision to accept Jesus as your
Lord and Savior. Because, as Philippians 2:9-11
says, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him
and given Him the name which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of
those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those
under the earth, and that every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father.” (NKJV)
6
The Alleged Successors
Who is the Successor
of the Bab???
When the Shi’ite Persians arrested the Bab, there
were enough Babis to start a revolt. However, after
at least three battles thousands of Babis were killed.
The Persians executed the Bab on July 9th, 1850
A.D. In 1852 a Babi tried to shoot the Shah, and the
Shah retaliated further against the Babis.
“Bab” is a term among various Shi’ite and
‘Alawite groups for a person who is a “gate” to truth,
heaven, or the Mahdi. Ali Muhammad of Shiraz, a
descendant of Mohammed born in 1819/1821,
claimed to the Bab, the forerunner to the hidden
(12th) imam. He claimed in Mecca in 1844 A.D..
But who would succeed the Bab? Many said they
were supposed to.
Mirza Yahya Nuri Subh-i Azal (Azali faction, =
Bayani’s)
Husayn ‘Ali Nuri Baha’ (Azal’s older half-brother,
Baha’i faction)
Mirza Asadullah
Mirza Abdullah Ghaugha
Husayn Maylani (known as Husayn Jan)
Syed Husayn Hindiyani
Mirza Muhammed Zarandi
For the first thirteen years, the majority of Babis
followed Azal. Then Baha’u’llah started his group,
and six years after that Baha’u’llah claimed he was
the promised one.
Examples of the Bab’s Writing
The Bab wrote a number of books, including
Kitabu’l-Asma’, and perhaps most importantly, the
Bayan. The Azali faction also calls themselves
Bayani’s, because they follow the Bab’s Bayan,
while the Baha’is do not. In fact, Baha’u’llah in the
Epistle of the Wolf said he never had the time or
opportunity to read the writings of the Bab.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.60
These are from the Bab’s work Panj Sha’n (Five
Modes), translated by http://bahailibrary.com/unpubl.articles/walbridge.panj.html
(11/23/2004)
Feuds and Murders Over Succession
After the Bab was executed, the Babi’s had a
bloody feud among themselves. (Defunct link) www
geocities.com/ Athens/Acropolis/5111/mirza.html
says:
In the Name of God, Very God, Very God!
I, I am God--No God is there but Me--Very God,
Very God.
In Gods Name, Very God, Very God.
God by God, Very God, Very God.
In God’s Name, Godlike God, Godlike God.
God, no God is there but He, Very God, Very God.
God, no God is there but He, Godlike God, Godlike
God.
God, no God is there but He, God as God in
Godhead.
God, no God is there but He, God, attain’d Godhood.
…
“Upon reaching Edirne in December 1863, tensions
in the Babi community heightened. In Early 1866
Bahaullah formalized the division in the community,
and the Babis formally pledged support for either
Sobh-e Azal or Bahaullah, the latter being the more
popular. Despite Bahaullah’s rejection of holy war,
which Babis had practiced diligently, Bahaullah
urged his supporters to violence, and a bloody feud
ensued. The public and government officials in
Edirne had remained quite amicable to the Babis but
upon these latter developments became
uncomfortable. In 1868 Ottoman officials
intervened. Sobh-e Azal and his supporters, the
Azali, were sent to Famagusta, Cyprus while
Bahahullah and the Bahai were removed to Acre,
Palestine. Provisions were made to station observers
in the opposing side’s camp for monitoring purposes.
Murders continued, however, and three Azali
observers were killed in one night alone.
Assasinations of Azali leaders were reported in
Karbala, Baghdad, Tabriz, Acre and throughout Iran.
Such prominent figures as Aqa Syed Ali Arab and
Mulla Rajab Ali, both among the first 19 Babis, the
Letters of the Living, and Haji Mirza Jani Kashani,
author of Nuqtat ul-Qaf, joined the ranks of killed
Azalis.
Say, You, O God, You arise as God
of the heavens and the earth and the void between.
Then plant the tree of affirmation
in all that You have created
or will create by Your command
until that day on which You manifest
the Manifestation of Your Self
that all may believe in Him
and be sure on Him
then bow down before His face.
Note that all people were to bow before the
Manifestation of God, and that is who the Bab
claimed to be.
7
… Reviled by many Bahais, Sobh-e Azal is
nevertheless considered the Bab’s true successor by
many Babis, especially ones in Iran. Azalis adhere to
the Bab’s original doctrinal work, the Bayan, and
have remained a small group.”
A Baha’i View
One Baha’i view is that the Bab did not really want
Azal to succeed him, but wrote that will so that the
Persians would not know about the real successor,
Baha’ullah. Of course Azalis disagree.
The Bab’s Last Will and Testament
The Bab’s View
Azalis claim to have a Last Will of the Bab,
written a few days before his execution in 1850, and
forwarded to Azim Turshizi, who sent it to Sub-i
Azal. It designates Subh-i Azal (not Baha’u’llah) as
the successor. Here is the text and translation from
http://www.beliefnet.com/boards/message_list.asp?d
iscussionID=178496 (11/23/2004).
While we cannot ask the Bab today, the Bab wrote
one thing: he said a new manifestation would not
arrive for 1,000 years, not 19 years.
Now Azal did not claim to be a manifestation, but
Baha’u’llah did.
Allahu Akbar Takbir’an Kabir’an
hadha kitab min `ind Allah al-muhayyamin alqayyum ila Allah muhayyamin al-qayyum. qul: kullu
min Allah mabda’un, qul, kullu ila Allah ya`udun.
hadha kitab min `Ali qabla Nabil dhikr Allah al`alamin ila man ba`d li-ismih ism al-waheed dhikr
Allah al-`alamin.
qul: kullu min nuqtatu’l-Bayan la-yubda’un, inna ya
ism al-waheed fa-ahfaza ma nazala fi al-Bayan wa
amr bihi fa-innaka li-sirat haqq al-`azeem.
The Ithna’Ashariyya Shi’ite Muslim View
The Shi’ites of Iran believe the 12th imam will
return, but he is neither the Bab nor Baha’u’llah.
The Mahdi will be descended from Fatima, and will
be called Mohammed. While the Bab claimed to
be descended from Mohammed, the Persian
Baha’u’llah (to my knowledge) never did.
The Mahdi will raise the black standard in Khurasan
(Baha’u’llah never did that).
He will come to Mecca, and then travel to Kufa.
(Baha’u’llah never went to Kufa)
The one-eyed Dajjil (anti-Christ) will come in the
East
The sun will rise from the west, and a star in the east
will give out as much light as the moon.
Like Mohammed, the Mahdi will have a new cause
and a new book and a new religious law. This will
be a severe test for Arabs. The sword will be
between the Mahdi and the Arabs. (The Arabs did
not persecute Baha’u’llah; the Persians and Turks
did.)
Jesus will return too. (Jesus is different from the
Mahdi in Shi’ite theology.)
The 313 fighters from the battle at Badr also return.
(This did not happen)
The imams and former prophets will also all return
God is the Greatest, [Great with the] Uttermost
Greatness. This is the Book in the possession of
God, the Preserver, the Self-Subsistent, to God the
Preserver, the Self-Subsistent. Say: All come from
God. Say: All return to God. This is the Book from
`Ali before Nabil* who is the Remembrance to the
Worlds to him whose name is the Unity/the One #,
the Remembrance to the Worlds. Say: All [things]
have been generated by the Point(s) of [the]
Exposition/the Bayan. Verily, O name of Unity/the
One, keep [and protect] that which has descended
[or, been revealed] in the Exposition/the Bayan and
that commanded by it, and verily you are the True
and Most Mighty Straight Path. Seal (Inni ana hujjat
Allah wa nurihi/Verily, I am God’s proof and his
light)
*’Nabil’ in the abjad/numerology system of Islamic
gnosis is numerically equivalent to Muhammad
which both hold the value of ‘92’. This is another
way for the Bab to state his name, `Ali Muhammad.
The Sunni Muslim View of Baha’is
Sunnis believe the identity of the alleged 12th
imam is a moot point, because there is no legitimate
12th imam. Mohammed was the seal of the prophets,
and apart from the caliphs there is no legitimate
imam, Shi’ite or otherwise, to succeed Mohammed.
# Waheed, the unity or the one, is Azal’s symbolic
designation here which is also equivalent to ‘Yahya’
(i.e. 28), Azal’s first name.
The web site notes that one can also read this (with
an older English translation) in E.G. Browne’s
translation of Mirza Muhammad Hamadani’s NEW
HISTORY OF MIRZA `ALI MUHAMMAD, THE
BAB (Amsterdam: 1975)
Sunnis consider Baha’is as non-Muslim heretics.
Baha’is fall under the following injunctions:
8
In the future beware of people who hold only to the
Qur’an and reject the Sunnah. Abu Dawud
vol.3:4587-4589 p.1293-1294
Everyone can agree that many people who claimed
to be from God here were counterfeits serving Satan,
not the True God. So how can we tell which of them
are really from God?
Every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation
is an error. Abu Dawud vol.3:4590 p.1294
Life and Teaching
No innovation after the Sunnah is established. Abu
Dawud vol.3:4595 p.1296
While Baha’u’llah also suffered imprisonment, he
died a natural death (from fever) and lived very
wealthy toward the end of his life. Azalis claim he
had his followers attack Azalis.
Sunni Muslims do in fact believe that Jesus will
return. But they claim that Jesus will smash the
crosses, abolish the jizya tax that nominally
protected Jews and Christians, and personally slay
the anti-Christ (dajjal). Before he died, Baha’u’llah
did none of these things.
Mohammed also faced persecution, but he
persecuted others far me. He died a natural death, but
about a year after he ate some poisoned mutton given
to him a woman whose husband was killed by
Mohammed. The hadiths record that Mohammed
ordered assassinations, torture, and surprise attacks
against unsuspecting people. Mohammed asked
forgiveness for his sins many times.
The Christian View of Baha’is
While Baha’ullah claimed to be Christ returned,
Christians believe Baha’u’llah is a partial fulfillment
of the warning in Matthew 24:4,10.
Jesus suffered and died as a martyr for his teaching.
He was materially poor all of his life. Jesus did not
persecute anyone. He said to love your enemies and
pray for those who persecute you. Even Muslims
agree with the Bible that Jesus lived a sinless life.
“Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives
you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I
am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. (10) At that
time many will turn away from the faith and will
betray and hate each other, and many false prophets
will appear and deceive many people.” (NIV)
Miracles
“Now when He [Jesus] had spoken these things,
while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud
received Him out of their sight. And while they
looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up,
behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand
gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was
taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like
manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:911 (NKJV)
Baha’u’llah did not perform any miracles of which I
have seen records.
While the hadiths claim many miracles for
Mohammed, including splitting the moon in two,
the Qur’anic teaching is that Mohammed did not
miracles, besides bringing forth the Qur’an.
Jesus performed many miracles, attested by people
such as Matthew, John, and Peter. Jesus raised the
dead, and He Himself was raised from the dead.
A Jewish View of Baha’is
Prophecy about Him
To orthodox Jews, this is all a moot point;
Baha’u’llah is not a successor to Mohammed
because Mohammed was not from God. They think
Baha’u’llah was not Christ returned, since they
believe Jesus was not the Messiah from God.
Baha’u’llah claimed he was prophesied by
Zoroastrians (Shah Bahram), the Bible (Christ
returned) and Shi’ite Islam (12th imam returned).
However, Baha’u’llah did not convincingly
overthrow the evil Ahiram in Zoroastrianism. In fact,
Baha’u’llah did not overthrow anyone. The Bab
prophesied that the Mahdi would come in 1,000
years, and Baha’u’llah proclaimed himself only 19
years after the Bab’s death. As shown previously,
Baha’u’llah did not follow the Shi’ite prophecies
about the Mahdi, the least of which is that the Mahdi
and Christ are two different people who will both
return. Acts 1 and Revelation 1 show that when
Christ returns, it will be the same Christ, in the
clouds, and every eye will see him. And even if he
But when the Messiah comes, he will deliver Israel
from her enemies. Baha’u’llah did nothing of the
sort.
Will the Real Prophet Please Stand Up?
If we have learned nothing else of significance, we
can see that it is relatively easy for someone to claim
to be a prophet of God, or a successor to someone
else. Proving it is another matter.
9
Buried in a rich man’s grave. Isa 53:9; Mt 27:57-60
were claimed to be, quite frankly, most of the world
has never heard of Baha’u’llah.
Many Jews missed seeing the Messiah because they
were looking for a political Savior, and did not
distinguish between His first and second coming.
Muslims claim Mohammed was prophesied in the
Bible in Deuteronomy 18:15-18, John 14:16-26;
15:26; 16:5-15, and other places. However,
Deuteronomy 18:15-18 fits Jesus, not Mohammed,
because the prophet would be “from among your
own brothers”, Jesus was Jewish, and Mohammed
was not. The verses in John discuss the comforter,
who “glorifies Jesus”, and was “in the apostles of
Jesus” (John 16:17). So why don’t Muslims agree
that they and Mohammed should glorify Jesus???
Prophecies He Made
Baha’u’llah wrote a letter to Napoleon III warning
him to stop being warlike. Napoleon III was later
defeated by Germany. On the other hand, the 1923
edition of Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.278,288289 says that both Baha’u’llah and ‘Abu’l-Baha’
predict the most great peace and promised unity of
man will happen in the 20th century. This was
removed in subsequent editions according to Francis
Beckwith p.37.
There are many prophecies about Christ in the Old
Testament. Here are just a few of them.
From David. Jer 23:5; Lk 3:31; Mt 1:1; 9:27; Mk
10:47-48; Jn 7:42; Acts 13:22-23; Rev 22:16
Son of God. Ps 2:7 Mt 3:17; 16:16-17; 27:54; 9:7;
Lk 9:35; Jn 1:34; Acts 13:33; Heb 5:5
Child called Mighty God, Prince of Peace, etc.. Isa
9:6. Messianic according to the Yemenite Midrash
349-350 and the Pereq Shalom p.101
Mohammed in the hadiths prophesied that they
would attack the Romans (Byzantines) and Persians,
and fight people with flat faces (Turks).
Jesus prophesied that he would be killed, He would
rise from the dead, that Jerusalem would be
destroyed. The entire book of Revelation was
prophecy by Jesus given to John.
When will the Messiah come?
The scepter will not depart. Gen 49:10; Lk 3:23,33
Messianic according to Babylonian and
Jerusalem Talmuds, Targum Jonathan, Targum
Pseudo-Jonathan, Targum Onkelos, Dead Sea
Scroll Commentary, and the Aramaic Targum.
Jews lost the right to execute people in 11 A.D.
according to the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin
chapter 4.
Before the Temple is destroyed (70 A.D.). Mal 3:1
Killed 32/33 A.D. Dan9:20-27+Neh 2:1-10 (445/4
B.C.) Messianic according to Maimonides in
Igeret Teiman, Rabbi Moses Abraham Levi in
The Messiah of the Targums, Talmuds and
Rabbinical Writers
Testimony and Life of Witnesses
Baha’u’llah’s followers were persecuted, and many
killed in Iran for their beliefs. However, many Azali
leaders mysteriously were assassinated, and who
would want to assassinate Azali leaders, but not
Baha’i leaders?
Mohammed’s followers faithfully attacked many
peoples to spread Islam and to get 4/5ths of the
booty. After Mohammed died, many Arabs gave up
being Muslims. Muslims fought them fiercely until
they either came back to Islam or were killed. After
the Muslims had conquered the Mideast and Persia,
they had a Civil War between Mohammed’s son-inlaw ‘Ali bin Abi Talib on one side, and
Mohammed’s wife ‘Aisha and two generals, Talhah
and al-Zubayr, on the other. At the Battle of the
Camel, Talhah and al-Zubayr were killed by
Muslims on the ‘Ali’s side. Talhah had saved
Mohammed’s life at the Battle of Uhud. Talhah and
al-Zubayr were two of the only ten Muslims who
were guaranteed they would make it to Paradise.
After this, there was a bloody Civil War between
‘Ali and Mu’awiyah culminating in the Battle of
Siffin. After this, the Kharijite branch of Islam was
nearly exterminated by both ‘Ali and Mu’awiyah.
What will the Messiah do?
Ministry of miracles. Isa 35:5,6a; Mt 9:6-7,22,32-35;
11:4-6; 12:13; Jn 5:5-9; 9:6-11, etc.
Enter as a king on a donkey. Zech 9:9; Lk 19:35-37;
Mt 21:5-9; Jn 12:15
Not abandoned to death. Ps 16:8-11; 30:3; Acts 2:31;
13:33; Mk 16:6; Mt 28:6; Lk 24:46
Spirit of the Lord will be on Him. Isa 11:2; Mt 3:16;
Mk 1:10-11; Lk 4:15-21,32; Jn 1:32 Messianic
according to Targum Isaiah and the Babylonian
Talmud
Reactions of the People
Betrayed by a friend. Ps 41:9; Mt 10:4; 26:48-50;
Mk 14:43-44; Lk 22:47-48; Jn 18:3,5
Rejected by His own people. Isa 53:3-4; Ps 69:8; Jn
1:11; 7:5; Mt 21:42-44
Gave Him gall for his drink. Ps 69:21; Mt 27:48
Killed with transgressors. Isa 53:12; Mt 27:38; Mk
15:27
Jesus’ early followers did not kill or persecute
anybody. Of the eleven disciples, all but one were
martyred for their faith: John died a natural death.
10
Conclusion
Many claimed to be from God, and some became
very wealthy by doing so. However, Jesus had the
miracles, prophecies about Him, and a sinless life to
back it up. Christ’s early followers spread the gospel
peacefully, while Mohammed’s followers attacked
with the sword. Even though Baha’is do not spread
their religion by the sword, they still claim to follow
Mohammed, who did.
So forget the imposters and turn to the one God
showed was from Him: Jesus Christ.
11
“There is only one Christ. This has always
been true, and always will be. Christ is unique,
unchanging, indivisible, peerless, and
incomparable – ‘the Alpha and Omega (Rev.
1:8). We can never adequately express His
glory, nor can we exaggerate His importance.
Only through Him can we approach God.”
How Baha’is Can
Agree with
Christianity, by
Redefining the
Terms
This sound very Christian, and there is nothing in
else in the pamphlet that says this is wrong.
However, it gives a dishonest impression if they tell
people Baha’is think Jesus is “peerless” and
“incomparable” and “nor can we exaggerate His
importance” when they really mean that Baha’u’llah
is not his peer, because they really think Baha’u’llah
is greater than Christ. They say that Baha’ullah is
Christ returned in one breath, and then say he is
greater than Christ in another breath.
Baha’ism can be presented in a way that sounds
almost Christian, but they do so without telling you
they redefine the terms. When Baha’is say they
believe what Christians believe, and then redefine
the terms, it is important to set the record straight
and show the different things they and Christians
really believe. People belonging to any religion
should use material that accurately presents their
religion; not one that cloaks it as similar to another.
Following are a number of examples, each followed
by what Baha’is really teach.
‘Abdul-Baha’ in Some Answered Questions p.65
says “that Incomparable Branch” is Baha’u’llah, not
Christ.
‘Abdul-Baha’ in Some Answered Questions p.57-58
says, “In each cycle the guardians and holy souls
have been twelve. So Jacob had twelve sons; in the
time of Moses there were twelve heads or chiefs of
the tribes; in the time of Christ there were twelve
Apostles; and in the time of Muhammad there were
twelve Imams. But in this glorious manifestation
there are twenty-four, double the number of all the
others, for the greatness of this manifestation
requires it. … These twenty-four great persons,
though they are seated on the thrones of everlasting
rule, yet are worshippers of the appearance of the
universal Manifestation [i.e. Baha’u’llah].
Christ is the Only Way to God
The Baha’i pamphlet “The Incomparable Christ” by
Stonehaven Press (1997) begins this way:
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man
cometh unto the Father, but by Me” – Jesus Christ
(John 14:6)
Later it says: “From this point of view, there is only
one Christ. There cannot be two Christs, or ten;
Christ cannot have a predecessor, successor,
substitute or replacement. He is the only avenue
through which we can know God: ‘No man cometh
unto the Father, but by me’ (John 14:6)
They write “only through Him can we approach
God” but Baha’is do not approach God through
Christ any more than through Krishna, Mohammed,
or others, and less than Baha’u’llah.
The tract “Christianity and Baha’i Faith” by
Stonehaven Press 1997 says “From this point of
view, Baha’u’llah is Jesus in every way that counts.”
“Baha’is believe that this same Divine Presence
[Christ] has reappeared, in our day, as Baha’u’llah,
founder and Central figure of the Baha’i Faith,
fulfilling the Bible’s promises concerning the
‘return’ of Christ. (The Glory of Christ Pamphlet)
The Resurrection of Christ – No Bodily
Resurrection
‘Jesus, the Spirit of God … hath once more, in my
person, been made manifest unto you (Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha’u’llah 101).
Soon after they write “The personal view revolves
around His earthly life, His miraculous birth, His
sinless conduct, His ministry of teaching and
healing, His struggles against evil, His betrayal by
one of His own disciples, and His atoning sacrifice,
followed by His resurrection and ultimate victory.”
The Incomparable Christ - Really Less
than Baha’u’llah
Nothing else in the pamphlet says these are wrong,
and one might get the impression Baha’is believe
these things. Actually Baha’is do believe all of these
Right after that, the same pamphlet continues:
12
things: except for the atoning sacrifice and
resurrection.
Do not believe creation in six days in Genesis. They
do not believe Exodus and the ten plagues in Egypt
were literally true.
http://bahai-library.com/books/new.era/12.html
‘Abdu’l-Baha in Some Answered Questions p.103 in
the chapter on “The Resurrection of Christ” says,
“Question. – What is the meaning of Christ’s
resurrection after three days?
Answer. – The resurrections of the Divine
Manifestations are not of the body. All Their states,
... have a spiritual and divine signification, and have
no connection with material things.”
Creation is without a beginning in time according to
Baha’u’llah. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.249
The creation of heaven and Hell are symbolic and
not literally true. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.231
“…the crude and bald account given in the Hebrew
scriptures.” It had its purpose in the past though.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.249-250
Just to reiterate, on p.104 he says, “Therefore, we
say that the meaning of Christ’s resurrection is as
follows: the disciples were troubled and agitated
after the martyrdom of Christ. The Reality of Christ,
which signifies His teachings, … was hidden and
concealed for two or three days after His martyrdom,
and was not resplendent and manifest. No, rather it
was lost, for the believers were few in number and
were troubled and agitated. The Cause of Christ was
like a lifeless body; and when after three days the
disciples became assured and steadfast, and began to
serve the Cause of Christ, and resolved to spread the
divine teachings, … the Reality of Christ became
resplendent and His bounty appeared; His religion
found life …. In other words, the Cause of Christ
was like a lifeless body until the life and the bounty
of the Holy Spirit surrounded it. Such is the meaning
of the resurrection of Christ, and this was a true
resurrection.”
Adam and Eve and the fruit are only symbolic.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.252
Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l-Baha regard the descriptions
of Heaven and Hell given in some of the older
religious writings as symbolic, like the Biblical story
of the Creation, and not as literally true. According
to Them, Heaven is the state of perfection, and Hell
that of imperfection; Heaven is harmony with God’s
will and with our fellows, and Hell is the want of
such harmony; Heaven is the condition of spiritual
life, and Hell that of spiritual death. A man may be
either in Heaven or in Hell while still in the body.
The joys of Heaven are spiritual joys; and the pains
of Hell consist in the deprivation of these joys.
http://bahai-library.com/books/new.era/11.html
Resurrection has nothing to do with the gross
physical body. Baha’u’llah and the New Era
p.271,272
Belief in Evil and Satan - But not the
being of Satan
Evil does not exist, except as a lack or deprivation of
good. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.237
They Believe the Trinity – No They Deny
the Christian Trinity
The Baha’i tract Christianity and the Baha’i Faith
(Stonehaven Press 1997) says “Do Baha’is believe in
Satan? … Baha’i sacred texts abound with passages
that speak of Satan exactly as the Bible does. The
reality of Satan is one question; his nature is another.
Baha’is believe Satan is a manifestation of the lower,
rebellious nature of the human ego. He represents the
beast trapped inside each human being, seeking to
tempt us away from the path of God. Because Satan
exists inside every one of us, he is infinitely more
dangers than any external Adversary could ever be.”
The Glory of Christ Pamphlet is emphatic that they
affirm the Trinity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as
three persons or aspects of a single Deity. However,
they waffle when they say “The Incarnation thus
refers to the fullness of God’s nature rather than His
literal essence.”
Baha’is do not worship Jesus or the Holy Spirit.
They Believe the Bible - But not What It
Says
But if Satan does not have any existence external to
us, then how could Satan fall from heaven?
Resurrection is not of the body; they have divine
significance and no connection with material things.
Some Answered Questions p.103
Verses to Share with Baha’is
Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 6:18 – God does not lie
John 14:6; Acts 4:12 – only way
Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7 – Same Jesus, same way
1 Peter 2:4-8; John 5:21-23 – Christ the cornerstone
The plagues of Egypt and Joshua’ long day are not
literally true. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.243
13
Php 2:9-11; 2 Cor 11:3-6 – Every knee will bow
1 Cor 15:1-6; John 20:27-28 – physical resurrection
Revelation 5:9-14; Matthew 14:33 – Christ worship
Matthew 24:4,26-27; Luke 17:23-24 – Do not go
after those who claimed Christs. His return will
be as obvious as lightning flashing.
that personality.” Baha’u’llah and the New Era
revised edition by J.E. Esselmont ch.5 p.91.
Published by the Baha’i Publishing Committee
“In like manner, the Holy Manifestations of God are
the connecters of the light of reality, of the source of
mysteries, and of the boundaries of love. They are
resplendent in the world of hearts and thought, and
shower eternal graces upon the world of spirit; They
give spiritual life and are shining with the light of
realities and meanings.” ‘Abdu’l Baha’ Some
Answered Questions ch.42 p.162.
Other Groups Calling Themselves Baha’is
Be aware of the organization “Baha’is Under the
Provision of the Covenant” is a different
organization than the standard Baha’is. They are at:
www.bupc.org
and
http://bahaicentre.co.uk/proofs-for-the-bab/
The Bab and Baha’u’llah were the resurrection of
Yahya (John the Baptist) and Isa [Jesus]. These are
the only two prophets whose resurrection has been
foretold in the Qur’an. The Qur’an speaks of their
resurrection in identical language. The Qur’an says,
quoting Yahya:
The name “Father” is also applied in this
Dispensation to Baha’u’llah. ‘Abdu’l-Baha explains,
‘this fatherhood and sonship are allegorical and
symbolical.’” The Station and Claims of Baha’u’llah
p.104.
On the other hand Tablet to Jamal-i-Burujirdi by
Bahá'u'lláh and translated by Khazeh Fananapazir.
published in Bahá'í Studies Bulletin, 5:1-2, pages 4-8
1991-01 (originally written as "Lawh-i-Jamál-iBurujirdí") says,
“For example, one person envisages the Unseen the
Transcendent, the Inaccessible One (God; ghayb-i
maní` la yudrak) in the Person (haykal)[4] of the
Manifestation (of God; zuhúr) without making any
distinction (fasl; or division) or connection (between
them; wasl; or union).[5] Others there are who
recognise the Person (haykal) of the Manifestation
(of God, zuhúr) as the Appearance of God
([Himself] or theophany, zuhúr'u'lláh) and consider
the commands and prohibitions of the Manifestation
(of God, zuhúr) to be identical with such as originate
with the one True God. These two positions
(maqám) are both acceptable before the throne of
God. If however, the supporters of these two
positions should contend and quarrel with one
another in their exposition of the two perspectives,
both groups are, and hath ever been, rejected. This
inasmuch as the purpose of the spiritual
understanding (`irfán) and the exposition (dhikr) of
the highest levels of the elucidation of the teachings
(bayán) is to attract the hearts, cause fellowship
between souls, and further the propagation of the
Cause of God. As a result of contention and
disputation amongst those who hold to these two
positions, there hath been and will ever result the
dissipation (tadyí`) of the Cause of God and both
groups shall return to the hellfire despite the fact that
they, in their own estimation, soar in the highest
horizon of spiritual understanding (bi-a`lá ufuq-i
`irfán).”
“Peace be upon me (Yahya) the day I was born, the
day I will die and the day I shall be raised to life.”[9]
Regarding Jesus, it says:
“Peace be upon him (Jesus) the day he was born, the
day he will die and the day he will be brought back
to life.”[10]
Regular Baha’is also believe Baha’u’llah is the
return of Jesus Christ.
A Manifestation, but not an Incarnation
of God
There are different views, one of the main Baha’i
group, and one of an offshoot. First the main
viewpoint.
Baha’is do not actually believe Baha’u’llah, Krishna,
Jesus, etc. are God, or incarnations of God, but
Baha’is believe they are manifestations of God.
What is the difference?
To Baha’is, a manifestion of God is a reflection of
God’s essence, while an incarnation is God’s essence
made flesh, according to Baha’i, : A Christian
response to Baha’ism, the religion which aim toward
one world government and one common faith by
Francis Beckwith.
However, Baha’is “venerate” them to a high degree,
as the following quotes show.
Later, Jamal-i-Burujirdi was denounced as “powerful
and perfidious by Shoghi Effendi. Jamal-i-Burujirdi
was later labelled a “covenant-breaker”. See
http://bahai-
“The Baha’i worship not the human personality of
Baha’u’llah, but the Glory of God manifest through
14
library.com/bahaullah_lawh_jamal_burujirdi for
more info.
Was the Baha’u’llah Called the Mahdi?
The Bab called himself the Mahdi, and Baha’is say it
was the Bab, not Baha’u’llah who was the Mahdi.
However, Baha’u’llah’s son Abdu’l-Baha, himself
considered a holy person in the Baha’i faith, said,
“The Jews await the Messiah, the Christians the
return of Christ, the Moslems the Mahdi, the
Buddhists the fifth Buddha, the Zoroastrians Shah
Bahram, the Hindoos the reincarnation of Krishna,
and the Atheists – a better social organization!
Baha’o’llah represents all these, and thus destroys
the rivalries and the enmities of the different
religions;” Tablets of Abdu’l Baha vol.3 (See
http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/bahai-faithdir/111499-bahaullah-bible-quran.html)
Prayers to Baha’u’llah as well as God?
“THE PRAISE which hath dawned from Thy most
august Self, and the glory which hath shone forth
from Thy most effulgent Beauty, rest upon Thee, O
Though Who art the Manifestation of Grandeur, and
the King of Eternity, and the Lord of all who are in
heaven and on earth! I testify that through Thee the
sovereignty of God and His dominion, and the
majesty of God and His grandeur, were revealed, and
the Day Stars of ancient splendor have shed their
radiance in the heaven of Thine irrevocable decree
… I bear witness, moreover, that through Thy beauty
the beauty of the Adored One hath been unveiled,
and through Thy face the face of the Desired One
hath shone forth,…. I bear witness that he who hath
known Thee hath known God, and he hath attained
unto Thy present hath attained unto the presence of
God. (p.135) … Waft, the, unto me, O my God and
my Beloved, from the right hand of Thy mercy and
Thy loving-kindness, the holy breaths of Thy
favors,… The remembrance of God and His praise,
and the glory of God and His splendor, rest upon
Thee, O Thou who are His Beauty! I bear witness
that the eye of creation hath never gazed upon one
wronged like Thee. Thou wast immersed all the days
of Thy life beneath an ocean of tribulations. At one
time Thu wast in chains and fetters; at another Thou
didst enjoin upon all men to observe what had been
prescribed until Thee by Him Who is All-Knowing,
the All-Wise. (written by Baha’u’llah for his
followers to recite.) Baha’i Prayers chapter “Tablets
of Visitation” p.133-134
15
Q4: Could Isa 11:1-10 refer to Baha’u’llah of the
Baha’is, because part of that has not been
fulfilled yet? For example, slaying the wicked,
lion and ox lying down together, etc. (Some
Answered Questions p.62-66 and Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.266-267)
A: No. While Christ fulfilled some in His first
coming, some will be fulfilled in His second coming.
The reason Baha’is are twisting this passage, and it
does not refer to Baha’u’llah, is that
Jesus, not Baha’u’llah was descendant of Jesse
(Isaiah 11:1,10)
Jesus, not Baha’u’llah “with his breath of his lips
will slay the wicked” (Isaiah 11:4b). With
Baha’u’llah, the opposite occurred, many Baha’is
were struck down, it was not Baha’u’llah doing
the slaying.
The lion and ox, and other animals did not lie down
together when Baha’u’llah came either. (Isaiah
11:6-8)
The gospel of Jesus fulfills “the earth will be full of
the knowledge of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:9). As of
today, most of the people of the world have no
idea who Baha’u’llah claimed to be.
How Baha’is Bend
the Bible
Both Baha’u’llah and his predecessor the Bab tried
to use a number of Bible verses to support their
claim of being Christ returned. Here are some of the
verses Baha’is use today, and answers to give
Baha’is. This has 10 Old Testament passages, 7
passages from Revelation, and 9 passages from the
rest of the New Testament.
Q1: Does Gen 1:26 mean that we should be
educated to acquire divine perfections and the
focus of divine blessings, as Bahai’s teach in Some
Answered Questions p.8,9?
A: No, because Genesis 1:27 says that God did what
He said in Genesis 1:26. When Adam and Eve were
created, they were perfectly sinless before the fall,
and they did not need education. While we are still
in the image of God, Genesis 1:26-28 refers to what
God already accomplished.
Q5: Could Isa 35:1,2 refer to Baha’u’llah of the
Bahai’s, because it refers to the parched land
being glad, and Lebanon and Carmel, where
Baha’u’llah spent the last years of his life?
A: Jesus was in that area too, so the mention of those
places in and of itself does not give preference to
Baha’u’llah over Jesus. Unlike the prophecy in
Isaiah 35:1,2 few people in Lebanon or Israel
“rejoiced greatly” over Baha’u’llah being there.
When the British took over the region after World
War I, the Muslims pretty much continued to do
their thing, the Druze stayed doing their thing, the
Jews later entered Israel and there were fierce wars
(not rejoicing) between the two, and I have not heard
of a lot of rejoicing that area since Baha’u’llah went
there. This is not implying in any way that
Baha’u’llah caused all of the strife and suffering
over there; rather as far as the rejoicing or suffering
over in Mt. Carmel Baha’u’llah was irrelevant.
Q2: In Gen 3:5-22, does Adam symbolize the
heavenly spirit, Eve symbolize the earthly soul,
and the serpent symbolize attachment to the
human world as Bahai’s teach in Some Answered
Questions p.123?
A: No. People have been trying to get spiritual
meanings contrary to the plain meaning in Genesis
for centuries. Adam is definitely a male human, and
Eve a female human, and adding this unwarranted
interpretation makes men higher “heavenly spirits”
and women “earthly souls”. Instead, men and women
are of equal and the same value in the eyes of God
(Galatians 3:28).
Q3: Could Isa 9:1,6,7 refer to Baha’u’llah of the
Baha’is, since Jesus did not have the government
on His shoulders (Baha’u’llah and the New Era
p.261-262)?
A: No, because the government was never on the
Baha’u’llah’s shoulders. The government will be on
Jesus’ shoulders when Jesus comes again. This
cannot refer to Baha’u’llah because:
a) Baha’u’llah was not called Mighty God (Isaiah
9:6)
b) Baha’u’llah did not do any shattering the yoke
that burdens the people of Galilee as in the day of
Midian’s defeat. (Isaiah 9:4)
c) Baha’u’llah died before governing any lands, and
Baha’is do not claim Baha’u’llah will come again.
d) While the Baha’is might wish to govern the
world, their International House of Justice is an
irrelevancy as far as politics and government in the
20th and 21st century are concerned.
Q6: Could Isa 40:1-5a refer partly to John the
Baptist and Christ, and partly to the Bab and
Baha’u’llah, as Baha’is teach in Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.263-264?
A: No. Their explanation is interesting. They say this
cannot refer only to John the Baptist and Christ,
because the warfare of Jerusalem has not been
completed “her hard service has been completed” Isa
40:2b. However, her warfare was not completed in
Baha’u’llah’s time either. Without that, there is
nothing in this that suggests the Bab and
Baha’u’llah. Furthermore, where did the Bab ever
say “Prepare the way of the Lord”. He taught that he
was the manifestation of God, and that another
16
manifestation would not appear for another 1,000
years.
Baha’is say Baha’u’llah means “glory of God” in
Arabic, and Isaiah 40:5 uses the phrase “glory of the
LORD”, but it says that all mankind will see it/him.
Now Baha’is say this title refers to a person, not his
laws or organization. But when Baha’u’llah died, a
very, very small percentage of the world’s
population had ever heard of him. Unless they are
thinking of displaying his dead body to everyone, the
whole world will not see whom they call “the glory
of God.”
happen; especially since the Holocaust happened
after this.
Basically Baha’is take nearly every Bible prophecy
that proclaims future knowledge or deliverance, and
begs the question by applying it to Baha’u’llah. Then
they can say, “See, this prophecy was fulfilled,
therefore Baha’u’llah is true.”
Q9: In Dan 12:11-12, does the 1,290 days refer to
Baha’ullah being 1,290 years after Mohammed
announced his mission as Bahai’s claim in Some
Answered Questions p.43-44?
A: Baha’u’llah made his claim 19 years after the
Bab, so one would think they would say it was 1279
years. However, since that does not fit 1,290 years,
they move the starting date back to approximately
when Mohammed said he was a prophet.
Q7: In Dan 8:13-17, could the 2,300 evenings and
mornings be a prophecy the 2,300 years from the
decree of Artaxerxes [allegedly 457 B.C.] to the
manifestation of the Bab in 1844 A.D. as Baha’is
claim? (Some Answered Questions p.40-42)
A: No, there are four problems with this.
Wrong type of years: 1844 (A.D.) + 457 (B.C.) -1
(no 0 A.D.) = 2300 (365.25 day years). However,
prophetic years in the Bible are 360-day religious
years, no 365.25 day years.
Wrong duration: 2,300 is evenings and mornings,
and nothing in Daniel says “evenings and mornings”
are years.
Wrong starting point: The decree was in the 20th
year of the reign of Artaxerxes according to
Nehemiah 2, so the starting point was 445/444 B.C.,
not 457 B.C.. 457 B.C was merely a decree from
Artaxerxes confirming Cyrus’ earlier decree that the
Jews could return to Jerusalem.
Wrong ending point: If you look at the rest of the
words, not just the numbers, 2,300 evenings and
mornings is the time when the sanctuary was brought
low until the sanctuary is reconsecrated. Baha’is
would have to mean that God’s sanctuary was
trampled and brought low when this Persian named
Artaxerxes became king; it remained low through
the time of Jesus until the Bab.
Conclusion: The only things Baha’u’llah got wrong
were the duration, starting point, and ending point. In
other words, everything!
Q10: Do Joel 2:30-32 and Mt 24:29-30 refer to
Moses, Christ, and Mohammed, their teachings
originally being a sun, but they all being
darkened by corruption later on? This is what
Baha’is teach in Baha’u’llah and the New Era
p.277-278.
A: No. Not only will Christ come in the literal
clouds, as Acts 1:9-11 shows, but God Almighty can
darken the sun and moon and He will do so. You do
not have the luxury of just calling anything figurative
that you want to not be true.
Q11: In the Gospels, is the mention of the
darkness and earthquake and torn veil when
Christ was crucified only figurative and did not
actually happen, because they were not recorded
anywhere else, as Some Answered Questions p.3738 states?
A: Many writers DID mention the darkness when
Jesus was crucified.
Thales (also spelled Thallus), was a non-Christian
Palestinian historian, who wrote in 52 A.D., less
than 20 years after the crucifixion. He wrote that
darkness accompanied the crucifixion of Jesus.
Phlegon was a Carian Greek writer who wrote soon
after 137 A.D.. He wrote that in the fourth year of
the 202nd Olympiad [33 A.D.] there was “the
greatest eclipse of the sun” and that “it became night
in the sixth hour of the day [12:00 noon] so that star
even appeared in the heavens. There was a great
earthquake in Bithynia, and many things were
overturned in Nicea.” (quoted from The Case for
Christ p.111.)
The following early followers of also wrote about
the darkness and earthquake.
Melito of Sardis (170-177/180 A.D.) says that the
earth shook, the sun fled away, and the day was
changed, for they could not endure their Lord
hanging on a tree. From the Discourse on the Soul
and the Body ch.2 Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.8 p.756.
See also On Pascha stanza 97 p.64
Q8: Could Dan 12:6 refer to the Bab as Baha’is
claim, since he appeared 1,260 years from the
Hejira of Mohammed? (Some Answered Questions
p.43)
A: No. They claim this because 3 ½ times or 3 ½
lunar 360-day years is 360 * 3 ½ = 1260 days. They
say a day is a year, and the Bab appeared 1,260 lunar
years from the Hejira of Mohammed.
First of all days does not mean years here. Second,
the starting date they want to use is not what the
Bible says. Besides doing unwarranted mathematical
gymnastics to arrive at a number, you have to also
read what the end point is in Daniel 12:1-4. At this
time multitudes of people will be raised from
sleeping in the dust, and Michael, who protects the
Jewish people will arise. This certainly did not
17
Irenaeus of Lyons (182-188 A.D.) says, “And the
points connected with the passion of the Lord, which
were foretold, were realized in no other case. For
neither did it happen at the death of any man among
the ancients that the sun set at mid-day, nor was the
veil of the temple rent, nor did the earth quake, nor
were the rocks rent, not did the dead rise up, nor was
any one of these men [of old] raised up on the third
day, nor received into heaven… Therefore the
prophets spake not of any one else but of the Lord, in
whom all these aforesaid tokens concurred.”
Irenaeus Against Heresies book 4 ch.34.3 p.512
Irenaeus of Lyons (182-188 A.D.) quotes Amos
8:9,10 and says it, “plainly announced that
obscuration of the sun which at the time of His
crucifixion took place from the sixth hour
onwards,…” Irenaeus Against Heresies book 4
ch.33.12 p.510
Tertullian (198-220 A.D.) in On Fasting ch.10 vol.4
p.109, mentions the darkness accompanying Jesus’
crucifixion. He also mentions it in An Answer to the
Jews ch.12 p.170.
Tertullian (198-220 A.D.) “at His passion, that midday grew dark, the prophet Amos announces,
saying,” and quotes Amos 8:9-10. An Answer to the
Jews ch.10 p.167
Hippolytus of Portus (222-235/236 A.D.) mentions
that for Jesus’ sake the sun is darkened, the day has
no light, the rocks are shattered, the veil is rent, the
foundations of the earth are shaken, the graves are
opened, and the dead are raised.” Against the Heresy
of One Noetus ch.18 p.230
Julius Africanus (235-245 A.D.) discusses the
darkness and earthquake when Jesus died, as
documents by the historian Thallus in his third book
of his History. Five Books of the Chronology of
Julius Africanus ch.18.1 p.136.
Origen (225-253/254 A.D.) mentions the darkness
over the land, and the tombs split open in Against
Celsus book 2 ch.33 p.445.
Cyprian of Carthage (c.246-258 A.D.) “Word of
God is led silently to the slaughter. And when at the
cross of the Lord the stars are confounded, the
elements are disturbed, the earth quakes, night shuts
out the day, the sun,…” Treatises of Cyprian
Treatise 9 ch.7 p.486 See also Treatises of Cyprian
Treatise 12 second book ch.23 p.525
Dionysius of Alexandria (246-265 A.D.) mentions
the earthquake in Matthew. Letter to the Bishop
Basilides canon 1 p.94.
Arnobius (297-303 A.D.) mentions the darkness
during Jesus’ death. Arnobius Against the Heathen
book 1 ch.53 p.428
Athanasius (318 A.D.) says the sun was darkened
and the earth shaken when the Savior died. The
Incarnation of the Word ch.49.4 p.63
Lactantius (c.303-320/325 A.D.) earthquake the
same hour that Jesus died and the sun suddenly
withdrew its light and there was darkness from the
sixth to ninth hours. The Divine Institutes book 4
ch.19 p.122
Alexander of Alexandria (313-326 A.D.) mentions
how the tombs burst open, the earth was rocking and
the lights were afraid and the sun and moon
disappeared, the stars withdrew their shining when
Jesus was suffering on the cross. He writes, “Yet the
entire people, as unconscious of the mystery, exulted
over Christ in derision; although the earth was
rocking, the mountains, the valleys, and the sea were
shaken, and every creature of God was smitten with
confusion. The lights of heaven were afraid, the sun
fled away, the moon disappeared, the stars withdrew
their shining, the day came to end;” Epistles on the
Arian Heresy Epistle 5.6 p.301
Some might argue that other cultures should have
written about this too. This is not true if the darkness
was only local. Also, unusual darkness was not
always recorded. For example, it is computed that a
solar eclipse darkened Egypt on December 12, 504
B.C., yet there are no historical records, among the
highly civilized Egyptians, or anyone else, about
this. See www.informationblast.com/500s_BC.html
for more info.
Q12: In Mt 12:31-32, does blasphemy against the
Holy Spirit mean detesting the light by denying
God’s manifestations (such as Baha’u’llah) as
Bahai’s teach in Some Answered Questions p.127128?
A: No, this is begging the question by assuming that
since Baha’u’llah is the light, this verse proves that
Baha’u’llah was the light. However, even for Jesus,
notice that Matthew 12:31 he said that those who
speak against Jesus will be forgiven, so speaking
against a prophet of God is NOT blasphemy against
the Holy Spirit.
Q13: In Mt 16:27, does this refer not to the end of
the earth, but the supreme manifestation of
Baha’u’llah, as Baha’is teach in Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.268-269?
A: No, read the verse more carefully. It says the son
of man will come in his Father’s glory with his
angels, and reward each person according to what he
has done. Baha’u’llah did not have any angels
anybody saw with him, and Baha’u’llah did not
reward either the faithful Baha’is who were exiled or
died, nor the Muslims who persecuted him.
Q14: Mt 22:14 does the phrase “many are called,
few are chosen” refer to variations and degrees of
faith and assurance, as Baha’is teach in Some
Answered Questions p.129-131?
A: No. If you read the entire parable in Matthew
22:1-14, it puts people in two categories: those who
enter in to the wedding banquet and those who do
not enter. Many are called but few are chosen refers
to those invited to enter but who refused, and a man
who wanted to enter in with improper clothes.
18
There is a lesson for everyone here. You cannot
just read a single verse of the Bible, ignoring what is
written before or after, and expect to correctly
interpretation the meaning.
forbidden to enter the Promised Land because of his
losing his temper at Meribah. Since the Lord was
angry with Moses in Deuteronomy 3:26, can the
Lord be angry with someone who has never sinned?
There is a lesson for everyone here. Sometimes
people’s distorted preconceptions almost force them
to twist the Bible to suite their preconceptions.
Q15: In Mt 24:30 are clouds things that are
contrary to the ways and desires of men as
Baha’is teach in Baha’u’llah and the New Era
p.280-281?
A: No. Not only will everyone see Jesus, when he
returns in the clouds, and the peoples of the earth
mourn because of him (Revelation 1:7), but the same
Jesus will return in the clouds exactly the same way
as He left according to Acts 1:9-11.
Q19: In 1 Cor 15:51-52, do the terms life and
death here mean just faith and unbelief, as
Baha’is teach in Baha’u’llah and the New Era
p.270?
A: No, scripture is consistent that there will be a
physical resurrection.
Besides 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, see:
Dan 12:2 “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the
earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to
shame and everlasting contempt.”
Rev 20:5 “(The rest of the dead did not come to life
until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first
resurrection.)”
1 Sam 2:6 “The Lord brings death and make alive;
he brings down to the grave and raises up.”
Psalm 49:14 “But God will redeem my soul from
the grave; he will surely take me to himself.”
Psalm 22:29, “…all who go down to the dust will
kneel down to Him…”
Psalm 23:6 After telling about the shadow of death
in Psalm 23:4, David says, “He will dwell in the
house of the Lord forever.”
Psalm 49:8-9 “The ransom for a life is costly, no
payment is ever enough - that he should live on
forever and not see decay.”
Psalm 52:8-9 “I trust in God’s unfailing love for
ever and ever. I will praise you forever… I will
praise you in the presence of your saints.”
Isaiah 25:7-8 “On this mountain he [God] will
destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet
that covers all nations; he will swallow up death
forever….”
Isaiah 53:8-10 After saying the one who suffers for
us will be killed and put in the grave of a rich man in
verses 8-9, yet he shall see his offspring in verse 10.
All these verse are quoted from the NIV.
Q16: In Jn 3:13 and Jn 6:38,42, does Christ
coming down from heaven only a spiritual
symbolic fact, not a material fact as Baha’is teach
in Some Answered Questions p.103-105?
A: No. ‘Abdu’l-Baha claims this because John 3:13f
says, “…but He that came down from heaven, even
the Son of man which is in heaven,” at the time that
Jesus was on earth. (p.103).
First of all, this last phrase is a manuscript variation
that is not present in the earliest manuscripts, though
it is in the later Byzantine Lectionary. It is strange to
base a doctrine on just one variant.
Second, Jesus’ divine nature can still be considered
in heaven as well as earth according to the New
Geneva Study Bible p.1665.
Finally, and most importantly, even if you do accept
the manuscript variation, within the same verse it
says that Jesus came down from Heaven. It is trivial
to show from the Bible that Jesus existed in Heaven
prior to the incarnation, and that same Jesus “came
down” is a material fact.
Q17: In Jn 16:12-13 is the Spirit of Truth here
Baha’u’llah?
A: No, the Spirit of truth here is a spirit, not a
person. It is the same Holy Spirit Jesus was just
talking about in John 14-16. You cannot say in John
16:12-13 “spirit” refers to one person, and spirit
refers to the Holy Spirit or something else in John
14:16-18,25-26; 15:26; 16:5-11; 16:14-15.
Q20: In Rev 11, could the two witnesses be
Mohammed and ‘Ali as the Bahai’s say? (Some
Answered Questions p.43-61)
A: No for the following eleven reasons.
1. Rev 11:3 says they will prophesy for 1,260 days.
Mohammed made very few prophecies, and ‘Ali was
never considered a prophet.
2. Rev 11:5 says that if anyone tries to harm them
fire devours their enemies. Mohammed was
poisoned (but barely survived), and ‘Ali was
assassinated by a Muslim. ‘Ali’s cause was defeated
by Mu’awiyah, and his son Husain was slain. He did
not devour his enemies, he was killed by them.
Q18: Is 1 Cor 15:22 false because all of the
prophets were sinless, as Baha’is teach in Some
Answered Questions p.118-121?
A: 1 Corinthians 15:22 says that all descendents of
Adam sinned, and that includes all the prophets
except Jesus. It is a common Muslim misconception,
which Baha’is have inherited that all of the prophets
were sinless. Yet this leads to strange contradictions.
Jonah (the godly prophet Yunus to Muslims) ran
away to Tarshish and was swallowed by a great fish.
Was there no sin in running away? Adam is
considered a prophet by Muslims, yet if he did not
sin in the Garden of Eden, doesn’t your definition of
sin become a meaningless phrase? Moses was
19
3. Rev 11:6 The two prophets can shut up the sky so
that it will not rain. Mohammed never claimed to do
that, and neither did ‘Ali.
4. Rev 11:6 Mohammed and ‘Ali did not turn waters
into blood, as almost all of the people they beheaded,
burned, or otherwise slew were not by rivers. If a
Salafi Muslim argues that they made rivers of blood
that does not count, because Rev 11:6 says they
turned waters into blood.
5. Rev 11:7-8 Mohammed was not killed by
violence, and in both cases their bodies were not put
on humiliating public display.
6. Rev 11:8 their bodies were not put in the street of
a great city. In fact, relatively few saw ‘Ali die.
7. Rev 11:9 Everybody did not gaze at their dead
bodies and refuse them burial. Mohammed in
particular was buried rather promptly by followers.
8. Rev 11:10 Who sent out lots of gifts when
Mohammed and ‘Ali were killed?
9. Rev 11:11 There is a small sect of Muslims, called
Muhammadiyya, that claims that Mohammed never
died. The Saba’iyya are a small sect of Muslims that
claim ‘Ali never died. Except for these small groups,
Muslims have no basis for saying either Mohammed
or ‘Ali were raised back to life.
10. Rev 11:12 Muslims never say Mohammed and
‘Ali did not ascend to heaven in a cloud. (Though
Muhammadiyya and Saba’iyya might disagree.)
11. Rev 11:13 There was not a severe earthquake
when either Mohammed or ‘Ali left the earth in a
non-existent cloud.
The point is not whether you can allegorize away
some of these reasons. The point is that if even one
of these reasons cannot be allegorized away, then the
prophecy does not refer to them.
Baha’is want to make Rev 11 refer to Mohammed
and ‘Ali, and then they switch the subject to the Bab
in Revelation 11:12-13, they cannot have their cake
and eat it too. Either The Bab was one of the two
witnesses or he was not. If he was not, then it is
stretching the Bible to take this verse in isolation and
say it refers to the Bab.
Q21: In Rev 11:2, can the mention of Jerusalem
being trampled for 42 months mean the time
between the Hejira of Mohammed and the
revelation of the Bab in 1260 A.D. as Baha’is
teach in Some Answered Questions p.46-47?
A: No. Abdu’l-Baha claims that since a day is
[allegedly] always a year, that is 1,260 years. But
consider this: if day here really meant day, how
could God communicate this in a way that they
would accept it? No, there is no reason to doubt that
days means days here.
Furthermore, if the 42 months was the time when
the Gentiles were trampling the holy city, then this
interpretation would mean that Mohammed in
Medina, and Mohammed later in Mecca was include
din the time when the holy city was getting trampled.
Actually Rev 11:2 relates to the same subject as
Daniel 12:6.
Q25: In Rev 12:3, was the enormous red dragon
the evil Umayyad Dynasty (Abu Bakr, ‘Umar,
‘Uthman, Mu’awiyah, etc.) who had seven
dominions: Rome around Damascus, Persian,
Arabian, Egyptian, Africa, Spain, and Turks of
Transoxania as Baha’is teach in Some Answered
Questions p.69-70?
A: No. Baha’is claim the ten heads were ten
commanders: starting with Abu Sufyan, and ending
with Marwan. They also admit there are more than
ten people, but since there are two Mu’awiyah’s,
three Yazids, two Walid’s, and two Marwan’s, if you
count the names without repetition, then it comes to
ten!
In reality, the beast is Satan, because Revelation
12:10 calls the beast the accuser of our brethren. The
beast is after Christ and Christians, because Rev
12:10 speaks of the authority of God’s Christ. Note
that the woman was taken care of by God for 1,260
days. Now how could she be taken care of if the
Umayyads trampled the sanctuary for 1,260 days?
Q23: In Rev 11:14-15, is Mohammed the first
woe, and the Bab the second woe, as Some
Answered Questions p.56-57 says?
A: Baha’is can say Mohammed is the first woe if
they want, but I do not think they would want to say
that, if they read what the first woe really was. The
first woe, the fifth trumpet, is described thoroughly
in Revelation 9:1012. Hellish Locusts from the abyss
sting the non-believers on the earth. They tortured
them for 42 months. It will be so painful that the
people will want to die, but death will elude them.
The sixth woe, the sixth trumpet, is when the four
angels at the Euphrates river let loose 200,000,000
mounted troops to kill 1/3 of mankind. Do Baha’is
really want to say the Bab loosed forces that killed
1/3 of mankind?
Q24: Rev 12:1 is the woman the law of God under
Mohammed, and the male child the new law of
God under Baha’u’llah as Bahai’s teach in Some
Answered Questions p.67-72?
A: No. Bahai’s as well as Muslims do not accept the
authority today of Christ in Revelation 12:10,
because they think His words have been corrupted.
They do not overcome the beast by the blood of the
lamb in Revelation 12:11. If only they would
understand the importance of the blood of the lamb!
Q22: Was Rev 11:12-13 fulfilled by an
earthquake in Shiraz when the Bab was killed as
Baha’is say in Some Answered Questions p.55-56?
A: No. First of all, I have not seen any evidence of
an earthquake in Shiraz at this time. Second, if
Q26: In Rev 21:1-3 is the first heaven and earth
signify the old law and the new heaven and earth
20
the new law under Baha’u’llah, and no sea means
all will follow Baha’u’llah, as Baha’is teach in
Some Answered Questions p.67-68?
A: No. Revelation 21:2 says the New Jerusalem is as
a bride for her husband (God). We Christians are
metaphorically the bride of Christ, not some law.
Revelation 21:4-5 says that God will wipe every tear
from their eyes. There will not be any more death,
mourning or crying or pain. This prophecy was not
fulfilled during the lifetime of Baha’u’llah. This will
not be fulfilled until after the return of Christ.
21
Abdu’l Baha would go to the mosque. Baha’u’llah
and the New Era p.82
Abdu’l Baha died 11/28/1921. Baha’u’llah and the
New Era p.82
Flattering definition of a Baha’i, would [presumably]
include Azalis and Orthodox Baha’i too.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.90
Baha’is do not worship the human personality of
Baha’u’llah, but the glory of God manifest
through that personality. Baha’u’llah and the New
Era p.91
They accept that Jesus said, “Take up your cross and
follow me.” Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.92
It is necessary for everyone to recognize Baha’u’llah.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.93
Mention of Baha’u’llah’s Tablet of Tarazat.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.94
Baha’is want to be God’s lover and friend.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.95
Mention of the tablet of Tajalliyat. Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.99
Baha’is do not force their beliefs on others.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.101
[Unlike Muslims] Baha’is are not allowed to curse
others. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.102
Treat others as rare and beautiful plants. Baha’u’llah
and the New Era p.103
No fault finding. Unlike the impossible sermon on
the Mount, Baha’is are supposed to obey every
word of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l Baha.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.104
Look at your own faults, not others. Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.105-106
Baha’is are forbidden to confess their sins to priests.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.106
Baha’is should be honest. Baha’u’llah and the New
Era p.107
Self-realization of the true inner self. Baha’u’llah
and the New Era p.108
Prayer is communication with God [and with the
dead]. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.110
People must be liberated from the bondage of self.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.113
People need a mediator like Christ or Baha’u’llah
between them and God. Baha’u’llah and the New
Era p.114
Bahai’s should chant the words of God every
morning and evening.114
Animal food is not forbidden, but the food of the
future is fruits and vegetables. Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.125-126
For Baha’is no alcohol, except medicinally.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.126
For Baha’is no gambling, but other games of chance
are OK. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.126-127
No alcohol or opium for Baha’is. Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.128
Using regular doctors is OK. Baha’u’llah and the
New Era p.130-131
Index of Baha’i
Writings
Notes on Baha’u’llah and the New Era
(122 entries)
Baha’u’llah and the New Era – Revised Edition by
J.E. Esslemont. Baha’i Publishing Committee 1930,
1940
Baha’u’llah would smoke the Narguileh (hubblebubble pipe). Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.47
A minority under Mirza Yahya were violently
opposed to Baha’u’llah. Baha’u’llah and the New
Era p.40
Baha’u’llah died of fever in 5/29/1892 when he was
74 years old. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.50
Baha’u’llah left a last will and testament naming
Abd’ul Baha as his successor. Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.50-51
Baha’u’llah spoke as a man Baha’u’llah and the
New Era p.54, but he also spoke “from the state
of deity.” Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.56
Baha’is use Sufi concepts of annihilation in God and
abnegation. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.54
Baha’u’llah claimed to be the Zoroastrian savior
Shah Bahram, who overcomes the spirit Ahriman.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.57-58
In the Epistle of the Wolf, Baha’u’llah said he never
had the time or opportunity to read the writings of
the Bab. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.60
‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Abbas Effendi) was born in
Tihran/Tehran on 5/23/1844, the very same hour
that the Bab declared his mission. Baha’u’llah
and the New Era p.64
‘Abdu’l-Baha committed to memory the tablets of
the Bab. [This is strange, since his father
Baha’u’llah never read them.] Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.66
Sufis such as ‘Ali Shawkat Pasha visited
Baha’u’llah. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.66
When Abdu’l Baha succeeded Baha’u’llah, some
Baha’is contested and stirred up trouble with the
Turkish government. Baha’u’llah and the New
Era p.69
The Indian caste system was not right. Baha’u’llah
and the New Era p.70
Abdu’l Baha promoted Esperanto too. Baha’u’llah
and the New Era p.76. Though it is not official
that it has to be Esperanto. Ibid p.202
9/23/1918, British and Indian cavalry captured Haifa
from the Turks. Baha’u’llah and the New Era
p.80
22
Baha’is believe in miraculous healing by the Holy
Spirit. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.133-134
Baha’is desire a future golden age on earth.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.140
Strange quote of Mohammed’s. Baha’u’llah and the
New Era p.142-143
Misrepresentation of Mohammed. “Prophets have
preached, poets have sung and saints have prayed
about these things for thousands of years, but
diversities of religion have not ceased nor have
strife and bloodshed and discord been annulled.
… If two people want the same thing, or two
nations, will they not fight for it in the future as
they have done in the past? If Moses, Buddha,
Christ and Muhammad failed to achieve world
unity will Baha’u’llah succeed? If all previous
faiths became corrupted and rent asunder into
sects will not the Baha’i faith share the same
fate?” [By the way, there are multiple groups of
Baha’is and Azalis too.] Baha’u’llah and the New
Era p.145
Baha’is advocate visiting other people’s places of
worship. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.148
Baha’is easily believe a prophet can abrogate a
previous prophet’s teaching. Baha’u’llah and the
New Era p.152
All prophets of God are infallible. Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.153
Lawb-i-Aqdas (Book of Aqdas) is addressed to
Christians. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.154
Mention of the Father. Baha’u’llah and the New Era
p.154,269
Baha’u’llah is unique among the prophets.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.155
We have at present very few words of the previous
prophets. The means for recording Mohammed’s
teaching are in many respects unsatisfactory.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.157
Baha’u’llah wrote that ‘Abdu’l-Baha was his
successor [but not another manifestation].
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.158
Mention of the Tablet of the Branch. Baha’u’llah
and the New Era p.159
The International House of Justice is defined in the
Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha. Baha’u’llah and the
New Era p.160
Baha’is believe in free will. Baha’u’llah and the
New Era p.161
Baha’is have no professional priesthood. It was fine
in former times, but not now. Baha’u’llah and the
New Era p.161-163
Baha’is advocate increasing percentage tax rate with
more wealth. Baha’u’llah and the New Era
p.174-175
Baha’is believe making reasonable interest on money
is OK. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.177
No chattel or industrial slavery. Baha’u’llah and the
New Era p.178
Unlike Muslims, Baha’is can have anyone inherit
any amount they wish. Baha’u’llah and the New
Era p.180
Equality of men and women, including in education.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.180-181
Mention of [Queen] Zenobia and Mary Magdalene.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.182
Baha’i women is some countries wear veils to not
stir up Muslim violence. Baha’u’llah and the
New Era p.184-185
Quote from the Tablet of the World. Baha’u’llah
and the New Era p.186
Mention of Tablet of Tajalliyat. Baha’u’llah and the
New Era p.188
Christ saying to turn the other cheek meant no
personal revenge. The community has the right of
defense and self-protection. Baha’u’llah and the
New Era p.189
Christ saying turn the other cheek showed he was
against personal revenge. The community had the
right of defense and self-protection though.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.189
Mention of the language Esperanto. Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.200
Baha’is are committed to a universal language, but
they are not committed to Esperanto. Baha’u’llah
and the New Era p.202
“As a religious body, Baha’is have, at the express
command of Baha’u’llah, entirely abandoned the
use of armed force in their own interests, even for
strictly defensive purposes.” Baha’u’llah and the
New Era p.207. [In contradiction], nations can
fight to prevent oppression or themselves or other
nations. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.209
For marriage there must be the consent of all parents.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.214
Divorce is said to be a rare occurrence among
Baha’is. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.215
The Baha’i calendar is 19 months of 19 days.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.217-218
Baha’is cannot take other Baha’is to secular court.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.219
Help the poor regardless of color or creed.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.220
They fast from sunrise to sunset [like Muslims]
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.223
Not meet and permissible to reveal to men what all
happens to the soul after death. Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.230
The kingdom of God is free from time and place. It
is another world and universe. Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.231
The creation of heaven and Hell are symbolic and
not literally true. Baha’u’llah and the New Era
p.231
Baha’is can pray for the dead, and unbelievers and
become believers after they die. Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.232,236
We should not seek to communicate with departed
spirits. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.235
23
The dead can help those here too. Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.235
Evil does not exist, except as a lack or deprivation of
good. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.237
In 1600 A.D. Giordano Bruno was burned at the
stake, and Galileo recanted on his knees, for
saying the earth goes around the sun. Baha’u’llah
and the New Era p.241. This is not the whole
story. While Bruno did teach the earth revolved
around the sun, the Catholic Church was captured
him while in Venice because he was a pantheist
who attacked Christianity.
Zamenhoff was allegedly persecuted for inventing
the Esperanto language. They claim that even
Esperanto “has had it martyrs”. Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.242
The plagues of Egypt and Joshua’ long day are not
literally true. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.243
They believe that “No truth can contradict another
truth.” Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.245
God comprehends all, but we cannot comprehend
God. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.245-246
Creation is without a beginning in time according to
Baha’u’llah. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.249
“…the crude and bald account given in the Hebrew
scriptures.” It had its purpose in the past though.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.249-250
Adam and Eve and the fruit are only symbolic.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.252
Evil is a slavish thing, an isolating madness.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.254
People are all fruits of one true, leaves of one
branch, the flowers of one garden. Baha’u’llah
and the New Era p.254
The Jews killed Jesus. Baha’u’llah and the New Era
p.260
“The throne upon which He [Christ] has is the
Eternal Throne from which Christ reigns for ever,
a heavenly throne, not an earthly one, for the
things of earth pass away but heavenly things pass
not away. He re-interpreted and completed the
Laws of Moses and fulfilled the Law of the
Prophets. His Word conquered the East and the
West. His Kingdom is everlasting. ‘He exalted
those Jews who recognized Him…. The animals
who were to live with one another signified the
different sects and races, who, once having been
at war, were now to dwell in love and charity,
drinking together the Water of Life from Christ
the Eternal Spring.’” Baha’u’llah and the New
Era p.260 quoted from Wisdom of ‘Abdu’l-Baha
p.48.
Isaiah 9:2-7 can fairly be applied to Christ (2,000
years ago), but more fully and aptly applied to
Baha’u’llah. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.261262
From the rising of the sun refers to Baha’u’llah
coming from Iran to Palestine. Baha’u’llah and
the New Era p.264
Isa 11, etc. prophecies of the branch refer to ‘Abdu’lBaha. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.265
Mt 26:27; 13:40-43 were said by Christ and refer to
Baha’u’llah. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.268
Mention of the Book of Iqan. Baha’u’llah and the
New Era p.270,274,280
Resurrection has nothing to do with the gross
physical body. Baha’u’llah and the New Era
p.271,272
Mention of Acts 1:11 and John the Baptist in the
spirit of Elijah. Baha’u’llah and the New Era
p.272-273
Mention of Luke 21:20-24 and Matthew 24:4-14 as
by Christ. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.274275. Also Mt 24:29-30 p.277-278
Sun, moon, and stars in the last days are not literal.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.278-279
Mention of Matthew 24 and 25. Baha’u’llah and the
New Era p.280-181
Very brief quote, without explanation, of Mal 3,4.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.283-284
Mention of Dt 18:22 Baha’u’llah and the New Era
p.285
Mention of Isa 55:10,11. Baha’u’llah and the New
Era p.285-286
Mention of Mt 11:4-6 Baha’u’llah and the New Era
p.286
Alleged proof of very generic prophecy. Baha’u’llah
and the New Era p.286
Mention of Surat Haykal, which has letters to heads
of state. Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.289
Prophecy of Germany. Baha’u’llah and the New Era
p.290
Land of “Ta” is somehow Tehran in Iran.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.291-292
Baha’u’llah prophesied a peaceful and quite calm for
Iran. This is already been started and “signs are
not lacking that a brighter era is at hand.” [prior to
Khomeini] Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.292
Mention of Daniel 12:12,13. Baha’u’llah and the
New Era p.302
1,335 years from Hejira. 622 A.H = 1957 A.D.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.303
At-one-ment Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.311
Abolish both chattel and industrial slavery.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.312
The Bab’s only child died in infancy. Baha’u’llah
and the New Era p.315
Shoghi Effendi’s mother was Ziaiyyia Khanum, who
was the oldest daughter of Abd’ul-Baha, son of
Baha’u’llah. Ziaiah was also related to the Bab.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.315
A prophecy of a war fiercer than World War I.
Baha’u’llah and the New Era p.332
24
will surround the world, and all My enemies will
be brought low.” Some Answered Questions p.17
Mohammed’s military expeditions were always
defensive. Some Answered Questions p.18
False in Pre-Islam: Arabs told their wives, if a
daughter is born to you I will kill you. Some
Answered Questions p.19
In pre-Islamic Arabia a man could take 1,000
women, and most men had more than ten wives.
[The math here is interesting since they buried
baby daughters.] Some Answered Questions p.19
“They were like a man holding in his hand a cup of
poison, which, when about to drink, a friend
breaks and thus saves him.” Some Answered
Questions p.21
False: Mohammed never fought against the
Christians. Some Answered Questions p.21
Christians did not have to fight in Muslim armies,
but in compensation for this, they had to pay a
small sum of money. Some Answered Questions
p.21
Mention of the false claim that Mohammed
cleft/split the moon in two. Some Answered
Questions p.22
Alleged that everyone said the earth was the center
of the universe. Some Answered Questions p.23
Qur’an says the sun moves in a fixed place (Sura
36:37 and each star moves in its own heaven.
(Sura 36:38). Some Answered Questions p.23
“Baha’u’llah appeared at a time when the Persian
Empire was immersed in profound obscurantism
and ignorance and lost in the blindest fanaticism.”
Some Answered Questions p.27
“Briefly, we will say that Persian had fallen so low
that to all foreign travelers it was a matter of
regret that this country, which in former times had
been so glorious and highly civilized, had now
become so decayed, ruined and upset, and that is
population had lost its dignity.” Some Answered
Questions p.27
Baha’u’llah wrote a letter to Napoleon III,
prophesying that his kingdom will be taken away
and he will be destroyed. Germany defeated
Napoleon III in 1870 A.D. Some Answered
Questions p.32-33
Baha’u’llah was alleged by some as an enemy of the
Shah, but he was not really an enemy of the Shah.
Some Answered Questions p.33
Most prophecies alleged fulfilled in the Tablets to
the Kings. Some Answered Questions p.33
Siyyid Davudi, a Sunni from Baghdad, wrote a short
work on miracles of Baha’u’llah. Some Answered
Questions p.34
Baha’u’llah never studied Arabic, but Arabic
scholars said his eloquence and elegance in
Arabic was unequaled. Some Answered Questions
p.34
His enemies allegedly planned to crucify and destroy
Baha’u’llah. Some Answered Questions p.35
Notes on Some Answered Questions Unfinished
(59 entries)
‘Abdu’l-Baha (Laura Clifford Barney translator)
Some Answered Questions. Baha’i Publishing Trust,
1908,10390,1954,1981.
Bah’ai is “a new and independent world religion”
Some Answered Questions p.ix
The fundamental principles proclaimed by
Baha’u’llah are that religious truth is not absolute
but relative; that Divine Revelation is a
continuous and progressive process; that all the
great religions of the world are divine in origin;
and that their missions represent successive stages
in the spiritual evolution of human society.” Some
Answered Questions p.xii
No reincarnation. Some Answered Questions p.xii
More important, the book [Some Answered
Questions] has assumed a significant place in the
sacred literature of the Faith, being one of the
very few compilations of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s
utterances authenticated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha
himself.”
Mention of the telegraph. Some Answered Questions
p.4
God has to possess all perfections in order to create.
Some Answered Questions p.5
Non-sequiter. The imperfections of the contingent
world are in themselves a proof of the perfections
of God. (This was sort of an ontological
argument.) Some Answered Questions p.5
“…man, if he is left without education, becomes
bestial, … whereas if he is educated he becomes
an angel….” Some Answered Questions p.7
Misinterpretation of Genesis 1:26. Some Answered
Questions p.8,9
The Bab was descended from Mohammed. Some
Answered Questions p.13 and footnote 1 p.13
Mentioned of Joseph, Hagar, and Ishmael. Some
Answered Questions p.13
Claim that Socrates visited Syria and took from the
Israelites the teachings of the unity of God and
immortality of the soul. Later the people of
Greece accused him of impiety and had him
executed by poison. Some Answered Questions
p.14-15
Moses was a stammerer, who killed an Egyptian, and
afterwards was raised to the rank of prophet.
Some Answered Questions p.15
Alleged that in Jesus’ time, the slightest deviation
from Judaism exposed the offender to danger or
to death. Some Answered Questions p.16
Christ abrogated the laws of Moses. Some Answered
Questions p.16
A weird quote allegedly from Christ. “This Sun will
be resplendent, this Light will shine, My grace
25
Mention of the darkness and earthquake and torn veil
when Christ was crucified. However, these were
not recorded anywhere else, or figurative and did
not actually happen. Some Answered Questions
p.37-38
Mention of Numbers 14:34 (one year of wandering
for each of the 40 days they explored Canaan) is
mentioned to justify that one day – one year in
Daniel. Some Answered Questions p.40
Mention of 70 weeks in Daniel 9:29. Some Answered
Questions p.40-43
Dan 12:6 referring to the Bab, since he appeared
1,260 days from the Hejira of Mohammed. Some
Answered Questions p.42
Mention of Baha’ullah 1,290 days (years) after
Mohammed. Some Answered Questions p.43-44
Mention of the Father. Some Answered Questions
p.43
In Rev 11, mention of Jerusalem being trampled for
42 months refers to the time between the Hejira of
Mohammed and the revelation of the Bab in 1260
A.D. Some Answered Questions p.46-47
Mention of Rev 12. Some Answered Questions p.6772
Things such as fasting, prayer, worship, marriage
and divorce, abolition of slavery, indemnities for
murder, theft, injuries, refers to material things
and is altered in each prophetic cycle according to
the times. Some Answered Questions p.48
Positive mention of the law and teachings of
Mohammed, and the explanations and
commentaries of ‘Ali. Some Answered Questions
p.50
Water turn to blood in Rev 11 means the
prophethood of Mohammed and the power of ‘Ali
were like the prophethood of Moses and the
power of Joshua. Some Answered Questions p.50
The beast who attacked the two prophets in Rev 11
is the [Muslim] Omayyad/Umayyad Dynasty who
rose against the religion of Mohammed and the
reality of ‘Ali. [The Umayyads are the first
caliphs or Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, Mu’awiyah, Yezid,
etc.] Some Answered Questions p.51
After the martyrdom of the Bab, there was an
earthquake in Shiraz and many people were
destroyed, and there were great plagues. This
allegedly fulfilled Rev 11:12-13. [I have seen no
evidence of an earthquake at this time.] Some
Answered Questions p.55-56
In Rev 11:14-15, is Mohammed the first woe, and
the Bab the second woe. Some Answered
Questions p.56-57
In Moses’ time there were 12 chiefs of tribes, in
Christ’s time there were 12 apostles, and in
Mohammed’s time there were 12 imams. 24 is the
double of 12 for Baha’u’llah. Some Answered
Questions p.57-58
Mention of Isaiah 11. Some Answered Questions
p.62-66
Christ called himself the Son of God. Some
Answered Questions p.63
Isa 11:1-10 refers to Baha’u’llah. Some Answered
Questions p.62-63
The lion lying down with the lamb was fulfilled
under Baha’u’llah when people of different
religions associated together. Some Answered
Questions p.65
The branch is Baha’u’llah. Some Answered
Questions p.65
New Jerusalem is interpreted the Law of God. Some
Answered Questions p.68
The sun and moon are interpreted as the Ottoman
and Persian empires. Some Answered Questions
p.68
The seven heads of Satan are the seven regions the
Umayyads controlled. Ten horns are the distinct
names of Umayyads rulers. Even though there
were more than ten rulers, many had the same
names. Some Answered Questions p.69-70
Analogy of the signs of the zodiac. Some Answered
Questions p.76
An analogy of a butterfly always being attracted to
the light. [Actually butterflies are not attracted to
light; moths are.] Some Answered Questions p.77
The Holy Spirit descending like a dove, and God
appearing as a pillar of fire, cannot be material
things. Some Answered Questions p.85
26
‘Jesus, the Spirit of God … hath once more, in my
person, been made manifest unto you (Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha’u’llah 101).
Notes on The Glory of Christ: A Baha’i
Testimony
“There is only one Christ. This has always been true,
and always will be. Christ is unique, unchanging,
indivisible, peerless, and incomparable – ‘the Alpha
and Omega (Rev. 1:8). We can never adequately
express His glory, nor can we exaggerate His
importance. Only through Him can we approach
God. This understanding is absolutely central to the
Baha’i Faith.”
The tract “Christianity and the Baha’i Faith” by
Stonehaven Press 1997 says “From this point of
view, Baha’u’llah is Jesus in every way that counts.”
The theological view (which we explore here)
emphasizes His divinity as a ‘quickening spirit’, as a
member of the Holy Trinity, as an incarnation of
God, and as the Son of God. Let us consider each of
these stations in light of the Bible.”
“As an expression of God’s nature, Christ is called
‘the Word’ (Logos): ‘In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God’
(John 1:1; emphasis added). This verse suggests that
the preexistent Christ-spirit is in one sense identical
with God (He ‘was’ God) and in another sense
distinct (He was ‘with’ God). Many similar Bible
passages illustrate the same paradox: Some speak of
Christ and God interchangeably, while other
distinguish between them.”
“The truth of Divine Incarnation, like that of the
Trinity, becomes clear through the Bible teaching
that we behold ‘the image of the invisible God’ (Col.
1:15) reflected ‘as in a glass’ or mirror (II Cor 3:18).
As the perfect mirror of Divine Reality, Christ’s
human soul was associated while on earth with a
physical body. The Incarnation thus refers to the
fullness of God’s nature rather than his literal
essence.”
“The Divine Sonship of Christ did not begin, then,
with the Virgin Birth. It is inherent in His spiritual
identity which, according to Paul, existed, ‘before all
things’ and remains the creative force by which ‘all
things consist’ (Col 1:17)
“From this point of view, there is only one Christ.
There cannot be two Christs, or ten; Christ cannot
have a predecessor, successor, substitute or
replacement. He is the only avenue through which
we can know God: ‘No man cometh unto the Father,
but by me’ (John 14:6)
“Baha’is believe that this same Divine Presence
[Christ] has reappeared, in our day, as Baha’u’llah,
founder and Central figure of the Baha’i Faith,
fulfilling the Bible’s promises concerning the
‘return’ of Christ. (The Glory of Christ Pamphlet)
27
Other References on Baha’is
List of References
Beckwith, Francis. Baha’i : Bethany House
Publishers. 1985.
List of References by Baha’is
Browne, E.G. (translator) New History of the Bab
America’s Challenge : World Peace Through Racial
Unity. (pamphlet from “the Baha’i Faith”) (no date)
Browne, E.G. Babis of Persia II
A New Vision of Race Unity : An Abridged Summary
of the Baha’i statement on the Oneness of Humanity.
Baha’i National Center. 1997. (pamphlet)
Browne, Edward G. (translator) A Traveller’s
Narrative Written to Illustrate the Episode of the
Bab, The University Press, 1918 p.175-243.
Baha’is and the Bible. Stonehaven Press (pamphlet)
(no date)
Douglas, J.D. New 20th-Century Encyclopedia of
Religious Knowledge 2nd edition. Baker Book
House 1991.
Baha’u’llah : God’s Messenger to Humanity.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the
United States. 1994 (pamphlet)
Tangler, Howard. Who are the Baha’is? (pamphlet)
1993.
Barney, Laura Clifford (translator) ‘Abdu’l-Baha
Some Answered Questions. Baha’i Publishing Trust.
1981
Selected List of References on Islam
www.AnsweringIslam.org is a very extensive web
site presenting and debating many aspects of Islam.
Christianity and the Baha’i Faith : Frequently Asked
Questions. Stonehaven Press (pamphlet) (no date)
Baha’u’llah : A Brief Introduction to His Life and
Work. Baha’i International Community. 1991.
Hasan, Prof. Ahmad. Sunan Abu Dawud : English
Translation with Explanatory Notes. Sh.
Muhammad Ashraf Publishers, Booksellers &
Exporters 1984 (three volumes)
Esslemont, J.E. Baha’u’llah and the New Era.
Revised Edition. The Baha’i Publishing Committee
1940.
The Holy Qur-an : English translation of the
meanings and Commentary. Translated by
‘Abdullah Yusuf ‘Ali. Revised and edited by The
Presidency of Islamic Researches, IFTA, Call and
Guidance. King Fahd Holy Qur-an Printing
Complex. (no date)
http://bahai-library.com/books/new.era/...
… is 1-12.html
Sobjani, Mouhebat (compiler) Baha’i : Teachings for
the New World Order. Waldorf Enterprises. 19922003 (80 pg booklet)
Khan, Dr. Muhammad Muhsin (translator) The
Translation of the Meanings of Sahih Al-Bukhari
Arabic-English. Islamic University, Al-Medina AlMunawwara AL MAKTABAT AL SALAFIAT AL
MADINATO AL MONAWART. No date or
copyright.
The Baha’i’ Faith : Its Principles and History.
Baha’i Publishing Trust. 1996,1997.(29 pg booklet)
The Glory of Christ : A Baha’i Testimony.
Stonehaven Press (pamphlet) (no date)
Sahih Muslim by Imam Muslim. Rendered into
English by ‘Abdul Hamid Siddiqi. International
Islamic Publishing House. (no date)
The Light of Unity : The Power of Prayer. Baha’i
Publishing Trust. 1999.
Bible verses are from the NIV.
The Promise of World Peace to the Peoples of the
World. A Statement by the Universal House of
Justice. (12 pgs) (no date)
Defunct Web Pages
The Vision of Race Unity : America’s Most
Challenging Issue. A Statement by the National
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United
States. 1991. (13 pgs)
(www.)geocities.com/Athens/
Acropolis/5111/mirza.html 11/13/2004
(www.)geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5111/mirza.
html 11/13/2004
28
(www.)h-net.org/~bahai/arabic/
vol4/niraqi/niraqi.htm has more on the Bab
appointing Mirza Yahya as his chosen successor.
Mulla Rajab ‘Ali, nicknamed Qahir was a
prominent Azali writer whom Azalis claim was
murdered by Bahai’s. (www.)h-net.org/
~bahai/arabic/vol4/qahir/qahir.htm. (11/13/2004)
29