1. Is the principle of seeking the truth new?
`Abd al-Bahā:
Seeking the truth is not a discovery of the Baha’i’s and in essence has been the work of all of the Prophets.[1]
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`Abd al-Bahā:
The principles of Baha’u’llah are novel.[2]
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Baha’u’llah:
Whoever does not become a Baha’i is among the most ignorant of the people, even if they have mastery over all sciences.[3]
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`Abd al-Bahā:
One must not label people as being ignorant.[4]
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`Abd al-Bahā:
If
someone protests the Guardian of the Cause of God, immediately kick
them out of the community of Baha’is and never accept any excuses from
them.[5]
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`Abd al-Bahā:
Kindness causes life, separation causes death.[6]
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Baha’u’llah:
One cannot reach divine recognition with logic.[7]
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`Abd al-Bahā:
Attain divine recognition with intellectual and written arguments.[8]
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Baha’u’llah:
Accept my words without any questions or comparison with someone else’s words.[9]
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`Abd al-Bahā:
A person who is fair, will investigate and do research to seek the truth.[10]
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Baha’u’llah:
Even if someone criticizes Baha’ism with proof, do not listen. [11]
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`Abd al-Bahā:
Different religions should listen to the words of other religions. Perhaps, what is right is with them.[12]
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Baha’u’llah:
Do not see anything but me and do not listen to anything other than what I say.[13]
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Baha’u’llah:
Research and listen with your own ears and see with your own eyes.[14]
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Baha’u’llah:
The book of Bayān has not been abrogated.[15]
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Baha’u’llah:
The book of Bayān has been abrogated.[16]
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[1]
“His Highness Moses spread the truth as did his Highness Jesus and his
Highness Abraham and his Highness the Messenger (meaning the Prophet
Muḥammad) and his Highness the Bāb and his Highness Baha’u’llah. They
all established and spread the truth,” `Abd al-Bahā, Khaṭābāt
(Tehran), vol. 2, p. 5; “Prophets . . . is truth, and the truth is one.
His Highness Abraham was the harbinger of truth. His Highness Moses was
the servant of truth. His Highness Christ was the establisher of truth.
His Highness Muḥammad was the propagator of truth. His Highness A`lā
(meaning the Bāb) was the herald of truth, and his Highness Baha’u’llah,
was the light of truth,” Ibid, p.55; “The foundation of the divine
religions is one. It is one truth, it is one spirit, it is one light,
and it does not have a multitude. Among the foundations of the divine
religion is seeking the truth [so] that the whole of humanity seeks the
truth,” `Abd al-Bahā, Khaṭābāt (Egypt), vol. 1, p. 66.
[2] “The call of Allah (nidā Allāh)
was raised to such an extent that . . . the minds were astonished at
what call this is that is so high? What is this star that has come up?
Some were astonished, others were researching, and others were uttering
proofs. They all said, ‘The principles of his Highness Baha’u’llah truly
have no equal, they are the soul of this era and the light of this
century,’” Abbas Effendi (`Abd al-Bahā), Khaṭābāt, vol. 3, p. 78;
[3]
“If today, someone grasps all of the knowledge on earth but stops at
the word ‘yes’ (meaning does not become a Baha’i), the Lord will not pay
attention to him (ladī l-Ḥaqq madhkūr na) and he will be considered as the most ignorant amongst the people,” Baha’u’llah, Iqtidārāt wa chand lauḥ dīgar, (n.p.: n.p., n.d.), p. 111.
[4]
“The divine principles in this luminous era are such that one must not
insult anyone or attribute them to ignorance [by saying] that you do not
know and I know. Rather, one must view everyone from a respectful
perspective and must speak and argue from the viewpoint of seeking the
truth. [They must say] come, there are several issues at hand, so let us
seek the truth, and see how and why [it is so]. The missionary must not
consider himself wise and others as ignorant. This thought will result
in arrogance, and arrogance causes a lack of effectiveness; instead, one
must not see any merit in himself and must speak with the maximum
extent of kindness, humility, and humbleness. This kind of expression
will be effective,” `Abd al-Bahā, Makātīb (Egypt: Maṭba`at al-Kurdistān al-`Ilmiyya [Published by Faraj-Allāh Dhakī al-Kurdī], 1328 AH), vol. 1, p. 355.
[5]
“The Hands of the Cause of God must be ever watchful and as soon as
they find anyone beginning to oppose and protest against the Guardian of
the Cause of God, cast him out from the congregation of the people of
Bahā and in no way accept any excuse from him,” `Abd al-Bahā, The Will and Testament of `Abdu’l-Bahā [sic] (US Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1990), p. 12, http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/WT/wt-1.html
[6] “Kindness brings about life, separation brings about death,” `Abd al-Bahā, Khaṭābāt (Egypt), vol.1, p. 153.
[7]
“Know that from now on, that which has reached your intellect or will
reach it, or is perceived by the intellects of [those with intellects]
superior or inferior to yours, none are the criterion for recognizing
the truth and will never be,” Baha’u’llah, Badī` (Tehran: n.p., n.d.), p. 286.
[8] “If you seek divine recognition (`irfān ilāhī) . . . refer to intellectual and written (naqlī) arguments,” `Abd al-Bahā, Makātīb (n.p. [probably Tehran]: Mu’assisiyi Millī Maṭbū`āt Amrī, 134 Badī`), vol. 8, pp. 119 -120.
[9]
“No pleasure has been created in the world greater than listening to
the verses [brought by Baha’u’llah] and understanding their meanings and
not objecting to or questioning any of the words and comparing them
with the words of others,” Baha’u’llah, Badī` (Tehran: n.p., n.d.), p. 145.
[10] "Those
who are fair will examine, research and inquire. This examination and
inquiry will result in their guidance . . . they say: ‘We will go and
see, and we will investigate the truth,’” `Abd al-Bahā, Khaṭābāt (Egypt), vol.1, pp. 189.
[11]
“[Baha’u’llah says,] ‘All of the Lovers of God (i.e. Baha’is) must
avoid anyone from whom they perceive the smell of hatred towards the
‘Beauty of the Glory of Abhā’ (jamāl `izz abhā which refers to
Baha’ism or Baha’u’llah), even if they [argue by] speaking of all the
verses and by clinging to all the books.’ Then he, glorified be his
name, said, ‘They should protect themselves with perfect protection,
lest they fall to the trap of their deceptions and tricks. This is the
advice of the Pen of Fate (qalam taqdīr).’ And in another
speech he states, ‘Rejecting such individuals has been—and will be—the
closest way [of achieving] divine satisfaction, for their breath spreads
like poison,’” `Abd a l-Ḥamīd Ishrāq Khāwarī, Ganjīniyi ḥudūd wa aḥkām, 3rd ed. (Tehran: Mu’assisiyi Millī Maṭbū`āt Amrī, 128Badī`), chap. 70, p. 450.
[12] “The followers of Moses (i.e. Jews) have imitations (taqālīd),
Zoroastrians have imitations, Christians have imitations, Buddhists
have imitations, and every nation has imitations [and] thinks that its
imitations are correct and the imitations of others are invalid. For
example, the followers of Moses believe that their imitations are
correct and the imitations of others are invalid. We want to find out
which [imitations] are correct. [Obviously] not all imitations are
correct. If we stick to an imitation it will prevent us from correctly
investigating other [religions] imitations. For example, a Jewish person
cannot understand that other [religions] are correct because he
believes and sticks to the imitations of Judaism. Therefore, he must put
aside the imitations and seek the truth and [think that] perhaps others
might be right. Thus, until imitations are not put aside, the truth
will not become manifest,” `Abd al-Ḥamīd Ishrāq Khāwarī, Payām malakūt, p.17 (citing `Abd al-Bahā).
[13]
“Become blind so that you see my face, become deaf so that you hear my
pleasant tone and voice, become ignorant so that you get a share of my
knowledge, and become poor so that you can take an everlasting portion
from the sea of my eternal riches. Become blind means [see] nothing but
my beauty and become deaf means [hear] nothing but my words and become
ignorant means [have no knowledge] but my knowledge, so that with a pure
eye and clean heart and fine ear you come to my sanctified realm,”
Baha’u’llah, Ad`iyyi ḥaḍrat maḥbūb, pp. 427–428.
[14] “When humans attain the rank of [religious] maturity
they must investigate and think about [the things] the servants [of
God] grasp—without [the influence] of love or hatred— whilst they have
trust in God, and [they] must hear and see with their own ears and
eyes.” `Abd al-Ḥamīd Ishrāq Khāwarī, Payām malakūt, p.11 (citing Baha’u’llah).
[15] “I swear to God that if an individual from the followers of the Bayān
mentions the abrogation of that book, God will break the mouth of the
speaker and defamer. I [swear by] He who in His hand is my soul and my
essence, a single letter from the Bayān is dearer to me than everything that is in the heavens and the earth,” Asad-Allāh Fāḍil Māzandarānī, Asrār al-āthār khuṣūṣī, vol. 5,p. 333; “Say: ‘The polytheists thought that we might want to abrogate what was revealed unto the Point of Bayan (Nuqtat al-Bayān
which means the Bab) . . . but God has desired by this manifestation
[meaning Baha’u’llah himself] to make firm what has been revealed by the
Point of Bayan. Thus we will make firm his decrees and will prove his
writings on earth with an evident power and authority,” Baha’u’llah, Badī`, p. 390.
[16] “The book of Aqdas abrogates all the decrees of the book of Bayān . . . everyone’s [religious] source is [now] the book of Aqdas not the book of Bayān. The decrees of the Bayān are [now] abrogated,” Asad-Allāh Fāḍil Māzandarānī, Asrār al-āthār khuṣūṣī, vol. 2,p. 106.
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