From: hakim@bigq.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: soc.religion.bahai
Subject: The Claims of The Bab (was Refutation of Baha'i....) (Part 03/10)
Date: 4 Dec 92 14:33:11 GMT
Article-I.D.: ogicse.47208
Organization: -

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 12th 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 [His being the Mihdi --rdt], Qa'imiat
[His being the Qa'im --rdt] 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 an 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
		[Selections from the Writings of The Bab, p. 41 --rdt]

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 inmates of Paradise of His good-pleasure."

		Qayyum'ul-Asma', Chapter 1 [Selections, p. 43 --rdt]

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 12th Imam 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.
[cf. 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 your having denied Muhammad and His
Book will, in very truth and with absolute certainty, become evident
unto yourselves."

		Qayyum'ul-Asma, Chapter 4 [Selections, pp. 45-46 --rdt]

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 [Selections, pp. 55-56 --rdt]

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,
ordaining 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,
while 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