From: hakim@bigq.enet.dec.com (Kamran Hakim)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: The Station of The Bab (Re: A Refutation of Baha'i view....) 5/10
Date: 28 Jan 93 18:10:52 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation


Continuation from part 4:

HS>In Resalah
HS>Lel-Thamarah (Treatise for fruit), he wrote:

HS>                       "Truly I am certainly God: there is no God other
HS>than me. I am unique and single. Truly I am God, there is no God other
HS>than me - the eternal Lord, truly I am that very God and there is no God
HS>other than me who is unique and single. In the name of God who prevents
HS>and who is holy and pure, in praise of You my God, truly I call You and
HS>and all things to witness that You are truly God and there is no God
HS>other than You."

The title of your reference and its translation are questionable my friend. 
Please allow me to offer the readership of this forum the entire Epistle 
under discussion so that the readership of this newsgroup could compare
the two.

"In the name of the Sovereign Lord, the Lord of Power. Glorified is He 
before Whom all the dwellers of earth and heaven bow down in adoration 
and unto Whom all men turn in supplication. He is the One Who holdeth
in His grasp the mighty kingdom of all created things and unto Him shall
all return. He is the One Who revealeth whatsoever He willeth and by His
injunction `Be Thou' all things have come into being [In this paragraph
The Bab is praising Allah].

This is an epistle from the letter `Tha' [i.e. Thamarih which means fruit.
Here The Bab is referring to Himself as the `Fruit of God's successive
Revelations'. KH] unto Him Who will be made manifest [i.e. Issa-ibn-i
Maryam. KH] through the power of Truth -He Who is All-Glorious, the
Beloved- to affirm that all created things as well as myself bear witness
for all time that there is none other God but Thee [The Bab is referring
                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
to the return of Issa-ibn-i Maryam in this manner. KH], the Omnipotent, 
the Self-Subsisting; that Thou art God, there is no God besides Thee and 
that all men shall be raised up to life through Thee. [In this and the
following paragraphs The Bab is praising Issa-ibn-i Maryam. KH]

Lauded and glorified be Thy name, O Lord, My God! From all eternity I have 
indeed recognized Thee and unto all eternity will ever do so through Thine
Own Self and not through any one else besides Thee. Verily Thou art the
source of all knowledge, the Omniscient. From everlasting I have besought
and unto everlasting will beseech forgiveness for my limited understanding
of Thee, aware as I am that there is no God but Thee, the All-Glorious,
the Almighty.

I beg of Thee, O my Best Beloved, to pardon me and those who earnestly 
seek to promote Thy Cause; Thou art indeed the One Who Forgiveth the sins
of all mankind. And in this second year of my Revelation -a Revelation
which took place at Thy behest- I bear witness that Thou art the Most
Manifest, the Omnipotent, the Ever-Abiding; that of all things that exists
on earth and in the heavens nothing whatsoever can frustrate Thy purpose 
and that Thou art the Knower of all things and the Lord of might and 
majesty.

Verily, we have believed in Thee and in Thy signs ere the dawn of Thy
Manifestation [i.e. The Bab is referring to the immediate appearance
of Issa-ibn-i Maryam which was to take place 9 years after His own
declaration, according to the text of the Holy Qur'an.], and in Thee
are we all well-assured. Verily, we have believed in Thee and in Thy 
signs after the fulfilment of Thy Manifestation, and in Thee do we all
believe. Verily, we have believed in Thee and in Thy signs at the hour
of Thy Manifestation and bear witness that through Thine injunction `Be 
Thou' all things have been created.

Every Manifestation is but a revelation of Thine Own Self, with each of 
Whom we have truly appeared and we bow down in adoration before Thee.
Thou hast bee, O my Best Beloved, and shalt ever be my witness throughout
bygone times and in the days to come. Verily, Thou art the All-Powerful,
the Ever-Faithful, the Omnipotent.

I have testified to Thy oneness through thine Own Self before the dwellers 
of the heavens and the earth, bearing witness that , verily, Thou art the
All-Glorious, the Best Beloved. I have attained the recognition of Thee
through Thine Own Self before the dwellers of the heavens and the earth,
bearing witness that Thou art in truth the Almighty, the All-Praised. I
have glorified Thy Name through Thine Own Self before the dwellers of 
the heavens and the earth, bearing witness that Thou art indeed the 
Lord of power, He Who is the Most Manifest. I have exalted Thy holiness
through Thine  Own Self before the dwellers of the heavens and the earth,
bearing witness that in truth Thou art the Most Sanctified, the Most Holy.
I have praised Thy sanctity through Thine Own Self before the dwellers
of the heavens and the earth, bearing witness that Thou art indeed the
Indescribable, the Inaccessible, the immeasurably Glorified. I have extolled
Thine overpowering majesty through Thine Own Self before the dwellers of
the heavens and the earth, bearing witness that, verily, Thou and Thou
alone art the Lord of might, the Eternal One, the Ancient of Days.

Hollowed and glorified art Thou; there is none other God but Thee and in 
truth unto Thee do we all return.

As to those who have put the kindred of `Ali to death, ere long they shall 
realize to what depths of perdition they have descended."

	An Epistle of The Bab addressed to "Him Whom God shall make manifest"
			Selections from the Writings of The Bab, pp. 3-5

Please accept my apologies for quoting at length. I felt this was necessary
for the sake of comparison.

I hope the above quotation captures the gist of what you are attempting
convey to your audience, namely: "He [i.e. The Bab. KH] was not emotionally 
balanced, and as such, later claimed Godhood (3)." If this does not convey
                             ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
your point please allow me to offer some other examples. There is no need
for you to make your point by a MODIFIED text, or QUESTIONABLE translations.
The Bab in a second Epistle addressed to "Him Whom God shall make manifest" 
(i.e. Issa-ibn-i Maryam, Who was to appear after Him.) writes:

"He is the Most Glorious. He is God, no God is there but Him, the Almighty,
the Best Beloved. All that are in the heavens and on the earth and whatever
lieth between them are His. Verily He is the Help in Peril, the Self-
Subsisting [This introduction is in the praise of Allah. KH].

This is a letter from God [i.e. The Bab. KH], the Help in Peril, the Self-
          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Subsisting, unto God [i.e. Issa-ibn-i Maryam. KH] the Best Beloved, to 
            ^^^^^^^^
affirm that the Bayan [i.e. The Book of laws revealed by The Bab. KH] and
such as bear allegiance to it [i.e. The followers of The Bab. KH] are but
a present from me unto Thee and to express my undoubting faith that there
                                                                    ^^^^^
is no God but Thee [i.e. Issa-ibn-i Maryam. KH], that the kingdoms of 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Creation and Revelation are Thine."

			Selections from the Writings of The Bab, pp. 6-7

The implication of this language will be discussed in parts 6 and 7.

						Part 5 of 10
Xref: sparky talk.religion.misc:27485 alt.atheism:26962 alt.pagan:15810