Did the Baha’i’s leaders
try to spread, seek, and accept the truth, or did they try to hide and deny it?
In order to seek the truth, one must initially investigate and probe, and then
by relying on knowledge and reason, find the truth and try to act upon it.
However, not only did
Baha’u’llah not
give permission to Baha’i’s to investigate, read, and listen to the words of the
critics of Baha’ism, but he
also declared the authority of reason to be invalid and declared acknowledging
Baha’ism to be the
criterion of being knowledgeable..
This is what Baha’u’llah says about
reason:
Know that from
now on, that which has reached your reason or will reach it, or is
perceived by the reasons of [those with intellects] superior or inferior to
yours, none are the criterion for
recognizing the truth and will never be.43
He also says about knowledge:
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 (ladi l-Haqq madhkūr na) and he will be considered as the most ignorant amongst the people. 44
Put more simply: If a scholar pauses and hesitates about acknowledging
Baha’ism, he is considered among the most
ignorant of the people.
Does this statement from the
founder of Baha’ism agree
with the notion of accepting and seeking the truth?
Do
Baha’is tell their audience that their Prophet considers non-Baha’i’s to be
ignorant? Of course not!
Instead, `Abd al-Bahā strongly advises the missionaries to be careful of their
behavior so that they can have more influence on their audience. He says:
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.45
How is it that Baha’u’llah calls
non-Baha’i’s ignorant
but his son `Abd al-Bahā cautions missionaries away from insults and calling
people ignorant?
Or when `Abd al-Bahā uttered
the call of seeking the truth, had he forgotten that Baha’u’llah had
ordered the seekers of the truth to refrain from hearing and reading the
writings of others, whether they are knowledgeable or ignorant? Did Baha’u’llah not
state that:
The wayfarers of the path of belief
and the seekers of the cups of certainty
must keep themselves clean and pure from all other values (shu'unāt ardiyya).
This
means they must keep their ears from hearing
the words and keep their hearts from assumptions related to the words of
glory and keep their soul from superficial
causes and keep their eyes from seeing
perishable words . . . for if a servant wants to follow the words, actions, and
deeds of the servants-whether they be
knowledgeable or ignorant-and make them a criterion for recognizing God [Haqq] and His friends, then they
will never enter the Paradise of satisfaction (ridwān marifat) of
the Lord of Glory.46
Put more simply: Those who seek faith and certitude must protect their
ears eyes, heart, and soul from the words of others-whether those other people
are knowledgeable or ignorant.
Is it part of the
principle of “seeking the truth” to refrain from listening to the words of others-even those
who are knowledgeable? Isn’t listening
to the sayings of others one of the necessities for seeking the truth? How is
it that the Jews, Christians, and Muslims must put aside the words of their
forefathers and seek the truth with open ears and eyes, but Baha’i’s are not allowed to listen to anyone’s words? `Abd al-Bahā says:
The followers of
Moses (i.e. Jews) have imitations (taqāleed), 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.47
Unfortunately, this is a
prescription that has only been prescribed for non-Baha’is. Baha’u’llah forbids his followers from hearing any sort of
criticism about Baha’ism; even if
their critics criticize them using strong evidence and documents:
[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 Abha’ (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.”48
Baha’u’llah has ordered Baha’i’s not to speak with the
critics of Baha’ism. Why indeed?!
How can one claim to seek the truth, when they do not have
permission to read and hear the words of the critics of Baha’ism?
If someone is seeking the truth, shouldn’t he have permission to study
the criticisms made of Baha’ism?
Why should a researcher of the truth not use the
books that criticize Baha’ism and not have the right to speak with anyone about the
challenges facing Baha’ism?
`Abd al-Bahā instructs the Baha’i’s:
The Hands of the Cause of God must be ever watchful and so 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 wise accept any
excuse from him. How often hath grievous error been disguised in the garb of
truth, that it might sow the seeds of doubt in the hearts of men!49
Ironically, the same `Abd al-Bahā that gives the order to
expel his coreligionists says:
Kindness
brings about life, separation brings about death.50
Which
seeker of truth will not be stricken with questions, doubts, and misgivings in the beginning of this journey? If someone had a question regarding an issue and
for finding a truth, and embarked on
research and analysis, must they be considered an apostate and kicked
out of one’s community? Is the meaning of seeking the truth in the Baha’i creed,
closing the door
of research from the truth seeker and preventing his or her questioning and
protests? Baha’u’llah says:
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.51
This
saying of Baha’u’llah clearly contradicts the first and most important principle of the Baha’i faith. By this account, the leaders
of Baha’ism want their followers to be like sheep52 that close their
eyes and ears to anything other than the words of Baha’ism and only
listen to their
utterances and refrain from comparing them with any other words. In another
instance Baha’u’llah says:
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.53
Baha’u’llah has ordered Baha’i’s to become blind, deaf, and
ignorant, so that they do not see, hear, or understand anything other than he
deems fit! The Quran-the same book that Baha’u’llah had adhered to for
years-had already warned about having such beliefs:
Say: “Are the blind and seeing equal? Do you not contemplate?”54
What kind of truth seeking is this that requires oneto become
blind, deaf, and ignorant, and only entrust their heart to the claimant of
truth, so that they enter his sanctified realm?
Is this decree anything but a clear contradiction of the
principles which the Baha’is preach with pride?
We already mentioned at the beginning of this topic that Baha’u’llah even considers the
authority of reason and intellect to be invalid:
Know that from now on, that which has reached your reason or will
reach it, or is perceived by the reasons of [those with intellects] superior or
inferior to yours, none are the criterion for recognizing the truth and will
never be.55
By this account, whoever seeks the truth should not
listen to anything, should not see anything, and should not think, learn, or
ponder. Is it by this formula that one becomes a true Baha’i!?
When all of the standards, measures, and criterion to discover the truth
are taken away from a person, how and with what tools can they perceive the
truth about Baha’ism?
What kind of truth-seeking formula is this that does
not put any toolset at the service of a person, and in the end, ultimately
expects belief and certainty? What kind of truth-seeking do the followers of
Baha’ism
pride upon themselves and their religion?
In Baha’ism, it is taught that every individual must personally
choose their beliefs after reaching the age of religious maturity (15 years for
both girls and boys)56. Baha’u’llah says:
When humans attain the rank of [religious] maturity they must
investigate . . . and [they] must hear and see with their own ears and eyes.57
Those that preach these beliefs with great enthusiasm
to non-Baha’i
youth, never tell their audience that the tools and criterion to determine the
truth will be taken away from them. They never mention that soon they must
become blind and deaf. They must not think nor criticize. Thus, they turn away
from intellect, reason, and understanding and follow the path of those which
they zealously criticized.
Such beliefs are not strange when one considers that Baha’ism is in essence born out of
Bābism which itself is utterly against seeking the truth and knowledge. For
example, one of the Bab’s orders was the destruction of all non-Bābi books.58
Furthermore, the Bāb ordered:
Teaching a book other than the book of Bayān is not allowed unless it has
in it what is related to theology (kalām). [Teaching] those [sciences]
which have been invented such as logic (mantiq), principles [of
Jurisprudence] (usul), and other [sciences], is not permitted for those who
have faith.59
The book Bayān, which
was written by the Bāb is considered the divine book of the BābTs. This book
was initially written in Arabic and was later written with more explanation and
detail in Farsi. The Arabic version was supposed to be revealed in 19 units and
19 chapters but was only completed to the eleventh unit. The Farsi version was
more incomplete than the Arabic and was written until the tenth chapter of the
eleventh unit.
As we saw, the Bāb
had ordered that nothing be taught other than his own books and had ordered for
the destruction of most other books. The Bāb did not suffice with this order.
He ordered that anything non-BābT be destroyed, whether it be places of
worship, graves, or even people60, so that one world would remain
with only one leader and only one religion called Bābism!
43 Baha’u’llah, Bac£' (Tehran: n.p., n.d.), p. 286. What Baha’u’llah says here is in contrast with what his son `Abd al-Bahâ says: “If you seek divine recognition ('irfdn ildhî) . . . refer to intellectual and written (naqlî) arguments,” `Abd al-Bahâ, Makdtib (n.p. [probably Tehran]: Mu’assisiyi MillTMatbu at Amrf, 134 Bad!`), vol. 8, pp. 119 -120.
44 Baha’u’llah, Iqtidârât wa chand lauh dlgar, (n.p.: n.p., n.d.), p. 111.
45 'Abd al-Bahâ, MakaGb (Egypt: Matba at al-Kurdistân al-'Ilmiyya [Published by Faraj-Allâh DhakI al-Kurdî], 1328 AH), vol. 1, pp. 355.
46 Baha’u’llah, Îqân, 1st ed. (Hofheim [Germany]: Mu’assisiyi Matbu ât Baha’1 Âlmân, 1998), pp. 2-3. Because of obvious flaws in the official Baha’i translation, we have translated this section ourselves and have not used the official Baha’i translation.—Ed.
47 'Abd al-Hamîd Ishrâq Ktawarî, Payâm malakût, p.17 (citing 'Abd al-Bahâ).
48 `Abd a l-Hamîd Ishrâq Khâwarî, GanjTniyi hudiid wa ahkdm, 3rd ed. (Tehran: Mu’assisiyi Mill! Matbu at Amrt, 128 Bad!`), chap. 70, p. 450.
49 `Abd al-Bahâ, The Will and Testament of 'Abdu’l-Bahd [sic] (US Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1990), p. 12, http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/WT/wt-1.html
50 `Abd al-Bahâ, Khatdbdt (Egypt), vol.1, p. 153.
51 Baha’u’llah, Badî` (Tehran: n.p., n.d.), p. 145.
52 Baha’u’llah and `Abd al-Bahâ have in numerous places referred to their followers as Aghnâm Allâh (Sheep of God).
53 Baha’u’llah, Ad`iyyi hadrat mahbûb (Egypt: Published by Faraj-Allâh DhakI al-Kurdî, 1339 AH), pp. 427–428.
54 Quran 6:50.
55 Baha’u’llah, Bad` (Tehran: n.p., n.d.), p. 286.
56 “A question [was asked] about the age of religious maturity; answer: maturity is in the fifteenth year and both women and women are the same regarding this matter,” `Abd a l-Hamîd Ishrâq Khâwarî, Ganfiniyi hudûd wa ahkâm, chap. 1, p. 14.
57 `Abd al-Hamîd Ishrâq Khâwarî, Payâm malakût, p.11 (citing Baha’u’llah).
58 This is the name of one the chapters in Bab’s Bayân Fârsr: “Chapter six of the sixth unit which is about destroying all books but those that have been written or will be written about this order (meaning the Bab’s creed).”
59 `All Muhammad Bâb, Bayân Fârsî, unit 4, chap. 10.
60 “It was uttered in the day of the appearance of his Highness Alâ (meaning the Bâb) to behead, burn the books, destroy the monuments, and massacre [everyone] but those who believed [in the Bâb’s religion] and verified it,” `Abd al-Bahâ, Makâtlb (Egypt: 1330 AH), vol. 2, p. 266.
44 Baha’u’llah, Iqtidârât wa chand lauh dlgar, (n.p.: n.p., n.d.), p. 111.
45 'Abd al-Bahâ, MakaGb (Egypt: Matba at al-Kurdistân al-'Ilmiyya [Published by Faraj-Allâh DhakI al-Kurdî], 1328 AH), vol. 1, pp. 355.
46 Baha’u’llah, Îqân, 1st ed. (Hofheim [Germany]: Mu’assisiyi Matbu ât Baha’1 Âlmân, 1998), pp. 2-3. Because of obvious flaws in the official Baha’i translation, we have translated this section ourselves and have not used the official Baha’i translation.—Ed.
47 'Abd al-Hamîd Ishrâq Ktawarî, Payâm malakût, p.17 (citing 'Abd al-Bahâ).
48 `Abd a l-Hamîd Ishrâq Khâwarî, GanjTniyi hudiid wa ahkdm, 3rd ed. (Tehran: Mu’assisiyi Mill! Matbu at Amrt, 128 Bad!`), chap. 70, p. 450.
49 `Abd al-Bahâ, The Will and Testament of 'Abdu’l-Bahd [sic] (US Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1990), p. 12, http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/WT/wt-1.html
50 `Abd al-Bahâ, Khatdbdt (Egypt), vol.1, p. 153.
51 Baha’u’llah, Badî` (Tehran: n.p., n.d.), p. 145.
52 Baha’u’llah and `Abd al-Bahâ have in numerous places referred to their followers as Aghnâm Allâh (Sheep of God).
53 Baha’u’llah, Ad`iyyi hadrat mahbûb (Egypt: Published by Faraj-Allâh DhakI al-Kurdî, 1339 AH), pp. 427–428.
54 Quran 6:50.
55 Baha’u’llah, Bad` (Tehran: n.p., n.d.), p. 286.
56 “A question [was asked] about the age of religious maturity; answer: maturity is in the fifteenth year and both women and women are the same regarding this matter,” `Abd a l-Hamîd Ishrâq Khâwarî, Ganfiniyi hudûd wa ahkâm, chap. 1, p. 14.
57 `Abd al-Hamîd Ishrâq Khâwarî, Payâm malakût, p.11 (citing Baha’u’llah).
58 This is the name of one the chapters in Bab’s Bayân Fârsr: “Chapter six of the sixth unit which is about destroying all books but those that have been written or will be written about this order (meaning the Bab’s creed).”
59 `All Muhammad Bâb, Bayân Fârsî, unit 4, chap. 10.
60 “It was uttered in the day of the appearance of his Highness Alâ (meaning the Bâb) to behead, burn the books, destroy the monuments, and massacre [everyone] but those who believed [in the Bâb’s religion] and verified it,” `Abd al-Bahâ, Makâtlb (Egypt: 1330 AH), vol. 2, p. 266.
