From: hakim@bigq.enet.dec.com (Kamran Hakim)
Subject: Re: Reply to  Bahaies  gang
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 15:16:40 GMT


Dear Seyyed and the readership of soc.culture.iranian:

I am writing this in reply to your (i.e. Seyyed Mahdavian's) most recent 
postings on this topic.

Seyyed, evidently you have your opinions about the Baha'i Faith and my 
"standard answers" and "ignorant assertions" are quite ineffective to 
attract your attention to other possibilities in this area. Your faith 
and confidence about the Qur'an and the Hadith and their meanings appear 
to me as if Muslims have uncovered all the secrets of the Qur'an, and 
are rather unified in their understanding of their Scriptures. Therefore, 
no pearls of wisdom remain in the shells of Qur'anic words and the Hadith 
to be unveiled. It is my moral obligation as a Baha'i to respect your 
views and my personal wish to congratulate you for such a display of 
faith and certitude. 

Based on the input I have received from you, I clearly know very little 
about Islam, and it appears to me that I must study this great religion 
in the presence of those, such as yourself, who understand it so well. 
However, there is paradox which I need to resolve first! There is section 
among the writings of Ali the Commander of the Faithful which I have read 
that bothers me, when I attempt to place everything into perspective all
of what you have written. I would appreciate it if you or someone else 
would show me how to understand this saying: 

"Verily, a time will come upon you wherein nothing will be more concealed 
 than the truth, nothing more manifest than falsehood, and nothing more 
 than lies about God and His Apostle. The people of that time will possess 
 no commodity more difficult to sell than the Book when it is correctly 
 recited, or one more in demand when its passages are misinterpreted. 
 There will be throughout all lands nothing more detested than good deeds, 
 or more renowned than evil ones. The reciters of the Qur'an will have cast 
 it away, and those who memorize it will have deliberately erased it from  
 their minds. The book and its disciples will, on that day, be ostracized 
 and outcast, two friends together on the road, to whom no one will offer 
 shelter. The Book and its disciples will be, in that age, among the people 
 and yet neither among them nor with them. For error is incompatible with 
 guidance.
 Even though the Book and its disciples might come together, the people 
 would agree to keep separate [This, in my opinion, implies that Muslims 
 and the sects of Islam will be disunited among themselves.]. They would 
 disperse from the community -as if they were the leaders of the Qur'an 
 rather than it being their leader. Nothing will remain of it among them 
 save the name; they will know nothing of it save its calligraphy and 
 script. Before, they had not made an example of the righteous by maiming 
 them, or called their sincerity towards God a lie, or punished good deeds 
 with the penalties for crimes. They who preceded you perished because 
 they went on hoping for too long and their allotted terms  expired. Then 
 the Promised One descended, by whom excuses are rejected and upon whom 
 repentance has no effect, and with whom are the calamity and the 
 affliction." 
			Imam Ali "Nahj-ul-Balagha [The Path of Eloquence]

Please understand that I am not attempting to be sarcastic, or disrespect-
ful to you or other Muslim friends. Far from it. That is not my style of 
writing! However I feel compelled to sincerely question that if this is the
DESTINY of Muslims, then how could they possibly realize WHEN Mihdi comes, 
WHAT the Qur'an and the Hadith mean, WHO Baha'is are, and WHAT they stand 
for? How can I, as a non-Muslim, or any other individual for that matter, 
place our trust in what the faithful say about Islam, Baha'i Faith, meanings 
of the Scriptures, administration of justice, etc..., etc..., etc...

Once again, no disrespect is intended. This is a paradox for me and I 
would appreciate it if you, or one among the learned friends would shed 
some light on this issue for me.

Please let us COMMUNICATE. What is going to be gained by unsupported
accusations?

"O Son of Spirit! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and
 radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imprishable
 and everlasting."	[Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words #1]

Warm regards,

Kamran Hakim
Newsgroups: soc.culture.iranian,soc.culture.iranian,soc.human.rights