G: So if the Quran has a sentence in it which contradicts satatments in
the Bahai faith then that is a problem (for the Bahai faith). For the
Bahai faith, everything in the Quran is true, so whatever
interpretation the verses have, they have to be consistent with the
Bahai faith.
J: That's a good point. Here is a quote from Baha'u'llah in the Kitab-i-Iqan (p. 8) suggesting an alternative conclusion from the one you've drawn. The paragraph below is a commentary about the Prophet Noah's failed promises about His people's victory that were supposed to take place at a specified point in time. Noah's failed promises cause some of his followers the loss of their faith:
"Moreover, what could have caused the nonfulfilment of the divine promise which led the seekers to reject that which they had accepted?
Meditate profoundly,
that the secret of things unseen may be revealed unto you,
that you may inhale the sweetness of a spiritual and imperishable fragrance,
and that you may acknowledge the truth that
from time immemorial even unto eternity the Almighty hath tried,
and will continue to try,
His servants,
so that light may be distinguished from error,
happiness from misery,
and roses from thorns.
Even as He hath revealed "Do men think when they say 'We believe' they shall be let alone and not be put to proof?" (Qur'an 71:26)
----
G: If there are clear prophecies in the Quran, and we could agree to how
to interpret those prophecies, and Bahaullah failed to meet those
prophecies, then that would be a serious contradiction at the
foundation of the Bahai faith. Not just a test, but a logical problem.
J: As fallible human beings with limited knowledge, we are incapable of determining one fool-proof methodology for the interpretation of prophecies. Therefore, if Baha'u'llah fails to meet our pre-defined criteria, how can we be sure that we had it right and He was wrong, or that He really did fulfill them and we interpreted it incorrectly?
Furthermore, at first glance, apparent logical contradiction fill Baha'u'llah's writings. Upon contemplation and meditation, these apparent contradictions form a bigger picture that puts the capital letter in Insight, Wisdom, Power, and Magnificence. I didn't look too hard to come across a few, so these may not be the best examples:
"Muhammad, Himself declared: 'I am Jesus'." -Baha'u'llah Iqan
"Consider the sun. Were it to say now, "I am the sun of yesterday," it would speak the truth. And should it, bearing the sequence of time in mind, claim to be other than that sun, it still would speak the truth." -Baha'u'llah Iqan
"If thou lovest Me, turn away from thyself" -Baha'u'llah Hidden Words Arabic
vs.
"Thou art My lamp and My light is in thee." -Baha'u'llah Hidden Words Arabic
----
G: Ok. But when it comes to interpreting equality of women in the Quran,
I've noticed several Bahais not engage in the same kind of effort.
Instead of saying how the Quran can be read on multiple levels they
would rather have an insulting view of God, and believe that God
endorsed wife-beating, and so then it becomes an excuse to get rid of
Islam and replace it with something else.
J: This is a good point, so let me add this:
"Know thou of a truth: He that biddeth men be just and himself committeth iniquity is not of Me, even though he bear My name." -Baha'u'llah Hidden Words Arabic 28
----
G: When if you didn't want to have an insulting view of God, another
approach would be to point out that just as "seal" might mean
something other than "last" in Arabic, that "daraba" can mean many
other things besides "beat". It's even used in multiple ways in the
Quran itself.
G: the word "daraba" which some people translate as "beat" actually
appears elsewhere in the Quran itself with other meanings.
To travel, to get out: 3:156; 4:101; 38:44; 73:20; 2:273
To set up: 43:58; 57:13
To give (examples): 14:24,45; 16:75,76,112; 18:32,45; 24:35; 30:28,58;
36:78; 39:27,29; 43:17; 59:21; 66:10,11
To take away, to ignore: 43:5
To condemn: 2:61
To seal, to draw over: 18:11
To cover: 24:31
To explain: 13:17
J: Highly enlightening. Let us see if we can pull up some of Abdu'l-Baha's and Baha'u'llah's writings regarding the principle of equality with the above in mind.
----
G: But Bahais generally don't choose to read the Quran that way. Because
if they did read the Quran that way, if they did read the Quran,
believing that it was revealed to mankind from a just and merciful
God, then there wouldn't be a perceived need for the Bahai faith.
J: Recall that the Kitab-i-Iqan was written by Baha'u'llah before his public declaration, so no one knew His station except a few. This was in response to some questions posed by the Bab's uncle (a Muslim) about the validity of the Babi religion. After spending 90 some odd pages establishing the Bab'i religion, he ends Part I by turning to the Babis themselves! and giving them the following warning. He warns the Babis not to use their Book the Bayan as a means for rejection of the Promised One of the Bab (Baha'u'llah is anticipating His own public declaration in 1863). I believe this is directly related to your question. I will pull out some excerpts with my personal clarifications, and then quote the whole passage (Kitab-i-Iqan pp. 92-93).
"We beseech the people of the Bayan... not to forget the wishes and admonitions revealed in their Book (ie. the Bayan)."
"Let them (ie. the Babis), at all times, fix their gaze upon the essentials of His (ie. the Bab) Cause, lest when He (ie. Baha'u'llah Himself)...is made manifest."
"...powerful is He (i.e. Baha'u'llah Himself), the King of divine might, to extinguish with one letter of His wondrous words, the breath of life in the whole of the Bayan and the people thereof..."
"[powerful is Baha'u'llah to]...with one letter bestow upon them (ie. the Babis) a new and everlasting life..."
"remember that all things have their consummation in belief in Him (ie. Baha'u'llah Himself), in attainment unto His day, and in the realization of His divine presence."
"And now, We beseech the people of the Bayan, all the learned, the sages, the divines, and witnesses amongst them, not to forget the wishes and admonitions revealed in their Book. Let them, at all times, fix their gaze upon the essentials of His Cause, lest when He, Who is the Quintessence of truth, the inmost Reality of all things, the Source of all light, is made manifest, they cling unto certain passages of the Book, and inflict upon Him that which was inflicted in the Dispensation of the Qur’an. For, verily, powerful is He, the King of divine might, to extinguish with one letter of His wondrous words, the breath of life in the whole of the Bayan and the people thereof, and with one letter bestow upon them a new and everlasting life, and cause them to arise and speed out of the sepulchres of their vain and selfish desires. Take heed, and be watchful; and remember that all things have their consummation in belief in Him, in attainment unto His day, and in the realizatio! n of His divine presence. "There is no piety in turning your faces toward the east or toward the west, but he is pious who believeth in God and the Last Day." [Qur’an 2:176.] Give ear, O people of the Bayan, unto the truth whereunto We have admonished you, that haply ye may seek the shelter of the shadow extended, in the Day of God, upon all mankind. "
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