From: hakim@bigq.enet.dec.com (Kamran Hakim)
Subject: The Station of The Bab (Re: A Refutation of Baha'i view....) 3/10
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: 28 JAN 93 10:09:18    


Continuation from part 2:

HS>After a short while, he claimed himself to be the awaited Imam (1), 
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

In order to understand the claims of The Bab after the passage of 148
years from His declaration, one must, in my humble opinion, examine His 
Writings in a chronological manner and analyze the outcome. I will 
attempt to offer a partial glimpse of this methodology in this forum. 
Haply, it will open the door for the Muslim scholars to begin such an 
undertaking in examining this extraordinary event which took place in
their midst in the middle of last century.

On the 5th night of Jamadi-ol oula of the year 1260 Hijri/Qamari [A.H.
of the lunar calendar], the Bab proclaimed His message to His guest, Mulla
Husayn of Bushrooyih who was a pupil of the Shaykhi School of Thought
by revealing a commentary to Ahsan'ul-Ghasas, the Qur'anic Surih of Joseph. 
He revealed a chapter of commentary for every of 111 verses of that chapter 
of the Holy Qur'an. This commentary is known as Qayyum'ul-Asma'. The first 
Chapter of this Book known as Sura-tul Molk which was revealed on that 
night in the presence of Mulla Husayn, and the rest of the commentary was 
completed within 40 days. In this Book which is The Bab's first Epistle He 
CLEARLY and UNEQUIVOCALLY proclaims to be the 12 Imam of the House of the 
Prophet and the awaited Mihdi and the AUTHOR of an INDEPENDENT RELIGION. 
Please note that His public declaration in Mecca, thus, rejection of Muslim 
theologians, took place several months after the revelation of this Book. 
So at that time no one knew Him except Mulla Husayn of Bushrooyih. Therefore, 
if one is to judge The Bab and His claims, the examination of Qayym'ul-Asma' 
and its comparison with His other Writings is pivotal to this task in my
humble opinion. 

The implication of Mahdaviat, Qa'imiat and claim of a new Revelation and
its independence from Islam are clearly apparent from the verses of this 
FIRST Book revealed by The Bab at the earliest stages of His Revelation.

No wonder when Qayyum'ul-Asma' was presented by Mulla Ali Bastami, one
of the Letters of the Living, soon after The Bab publicly declared His 
Mission in Mecca, to the Council of the Ulema of Baghdad, both the Shi'ah 
and Sunni Ulema judged The Bab as an infidel based on the claims made in
the text of this Book. They offered three reason for their judgment:

1- The Bab is claiming and independent revelation;
2- The Bab is claiming to the revelation of a new Book similar to Qur'an; 
3- The Bab is claiming to be a Manifestation of God. 

Among the noted Ulema present in that gathering Seyyed Mahmood Aloosi, the 
Mofti of Baghdad and Mulla Hasan-i Ghohar, one of the Shaykhi leaders can
be named.

Please allow me to offer few quotations from Qayyum'ul-Asma' to demonstrate 
this point:

"All praise be to God Who hath, through the power of Truth, sent down 
                                                            ^^^^^^^^^
this Book unto His servant [The Bab is referring to Himself. KH], that
^^^^^^^^^ 
it may serve as a shining light for all mankind."
					Qayyum'ul-Asma', Chapter 1

Moreover;

"O people of the earth! Whoso obeyeth the Remembrance of God [i.e. This
is a title of The Bab. KH] and His Book hath in truth obeyed God  and 
His chosen ones and he will, in the the life to come [i.e. The Bab is
referring to the spirit of life bestowed upon the believers during the 
appearance of Issa-ibn-i Maryam Who was prophesied to appear immediately 
after Himself. KH], be reckoned in the presence of God [i.e. The term
presence of God is a terminology used in all Scriptures referring to the
time of the return of Issa-ibn-i Maryam. KH] among the inmate of Paradise
of His good-pleasure."
					Qayyum'ul-Asma', Chapter 1

I have quoted the above two verses from the first chapter, so that you 
realize what The Bab claimed His INDEPENDENT REVELATION, by the virtue 
of the revelation of a NEW BOOK at the BEGINNING of His Revelation. The
question which must be consider by the mindful skeptic is that why would
a gate to the 12 Imam would claim to the revelation of a new Book? In 
the later chapters of this Book The Bab compares Qayyum'ul-Asma' with the 
Qur'an:

"Unto every people We have sent down the Book in their own language. 
[Qur'an 14:4] This Book We have, verily, revealed in the language of Our
Remembrance and it is in truth a wondrous language. He is, verily, the 
eternal Truth come from God, and according to the divine judgment given 
in the Mother Book, He is the most distinguished among the writers of 
Arabic and most eloquent in His utterance. He is in truth the Supreme 
Talisman and is endowed with supernatural powers, as set forth in the 
Mother Book.... O people of the city [i.e. The Bab is referring to the 
people of Shiraz in Iran. KH]! Ye have disbelieved your Lord. If ye 
are truly faithful to Muhammad, the Apostle of God and the Seal of the 
Prophets, and if ye follow His Book, the Qur'an, which is free of error, 
              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
then here is the like of it- the Book [i.e. Qayyumu'l-Asma'. KH], which 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
We have, in truth and by the leave of God, sent down unto Our Servant. 
If ye fail to believe in Him, then your faith in Muhammad and His Book 
which was revealed in the past will indeed be treated as false in the 
estimation of God. If ye deny Him [i.e. The Bab. KH], the fact of having 
denied and His Book will, in very truth and with absolute certainty, 
become evident unto yourselves."
					Qayyum'ul-Asma, Chapter 4

Furthermore;

"Recite ye as much as convenient from this Qur'an [i.e. The Bab is
                                      ^^^^^^^^^^^
referring to Qayyumu'l-Asma', the verses of which are being presented 
here. KH] both at morn and at eventide, and chant the verses of this 
Book, by the leave of the eternal God, in sweet accents of this Bird
which warbleth its melody in the vault of heaven."

					Qayyum'ul-Asma', Chapter 41

The same theme is repeated throughout His latter Writings:

"The Qa'im [He who is to arise. KH] or Hujjat [Proof. KH] hath appeared 
 ^^^^^^^^^						  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
with verses and expositions as the Nuqta-i-Bayan [i.e. The Bab. KH] who 
is identical with the Nuqta-i-Furqan [i.e. Muhammad. KH]..."

						The Persian Bayan 1:15

In Ketab-i Asma which The Bab reveals some five years later He reaffirms
the same concept that He is the Qa'im of the House of the Prophet and the
expected Mihdi:

"He Who had revealed the Qur'an unto Muhammad the Apostle of God, ordain-
ing in the Faith of Islam that which was pleasing unto Him, hath likewise 
revealed the Bayan in the manner ye have been promised, unto Him Who is 
your Qa'im [He Who ariseth, Shi'ah terminology. KH], your Guide, your 
Mihdi [One Who is guided, both Sunni and Shi'ah terminology for the 
Promised One. KH] your Lord, Him Whom ye acclaim as the manifestation of 
God's most excellent titles. Verily the equivalent of that which God 
revealed to Muhammad during twenty-three years, hath been revealed unto 
Me within the space of two days and two nights. However, as ordained by 
God, no distinction is to be drawn between the two [i.e. the Qur'an and 
Ketab-i Asma. KH] He, in truth, hath power over all things. I swear by 
the life of Him Whom God shall make manifest [i.e. Issa-ibn-i Maryam, to 
Whom, He was the Gate. KH]! My revelation is indeed far more bewildering 
than that of Muhammad, the Apostle of God, if thou dost but pause to 
reflect upon the days of God. Behold, how strange that a person brought 
up amongst the people of Persia [i.e. The Bab is referring to Himself. KH] 
should be empowered by God to proclaim such irrefutable utterances as to 
silence every man of learning, and be enabled to spontaneously reveal 
verses far more rapidly than anyone could possibly set down in writing. 
Verily, no God is there but Him, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting." 

						Ketab-i Asma 16:18

If The Bab has claimed to Mahdaviat/Qa'imiat from the FIRST DAY of His 
revelation, as clearly demonstrated by the text of His first Book (i.e.
Qayyum'ul-Asma'), and prior to His public proclamation in Mecca. Then, 
what does "after a short while he claimed himself to be the awaited Imam" 
means? If you make an attempt to study Qayyum'ul-Asma' you will find that 
the Book contains some laws of the NEW Revelation. Some of which endorses
the Qur'anic prescription, others are uniquely different. My friend, If 
the revelation of a Book is not a sign of independence of His revelation 
from the very beginning, what is?

Please note that I have quoted from Qayyum'ul-Asma', The Persian Bayan,
and Ketab-i Asma which were Chronologically written in 1260, 1264-5, 
1266 AH, in this section in order to demonstrate the fact that while
the tone of the verses become stronger, His claims remain to be the same.

I hope this opens the door to mutual understanding between us.

						Part 3 of 10
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