The Baha'i Studies Listserv * From: Moojan Momen * Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 05:51:42
_____ *The Baha'i Studies List* Prophecies related to Bahá'u'lláh (the Return of Christ) in the Traditions (Hadíths) The following are prophecies from the major books of Sunni Hadíth which Bahá'ís believe were fulfilled by Bahá'u'lláh (see also later). Bahá'ís believe that Bahá'u'lláh was the return of Christ (al-Masíh): The Descent of Jesus >From the Sahíh of al-Bukhárí: Narrated by Abú Hurayra: God's Messenger said, `The Hour will not be established until the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you as a just ruler, he will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the Jizyah tax. Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it (as charitable gifts).'(10) Bahá'ís interpret `break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the Jizyah tax' as meaning that on his return, Jesus will have the full authority of a Messenger of God. He will supercede the previous religions and abrogate and replace their laws. This is expressed symbolically in this Tradition as: he will `break the cross' (superceding Christianity), `kill the pigs' (for food, abrogating the laws of Judaism) and `abolish the Jizya' (superceding the Islamic Shari`ah). Bahá'u'lláh did all of this both symbolically and, in the case of abolishing the prohibition on eating pork and the Jizyah tax, literally also. His Ministry will be for Forty Years >From the Sunan of Abú Dáwúd: Narrated by Abú Hurayra: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Jesus (peace be upon him). He will descend (to the earth) . . . He (Jesus) will destroy the Antichrist (the Dajjál) and will live on the earth for forty years and then he will die.(11) Bahá'u'lláh's ministry lasted forty years (1852-92). (Concerning the Dajjál, see later). The Establishment of a New Religion and the Opposition of the `Ulama Imám `Abd al-Wahháb al-Sha`rání records in his book, al-Yawáqít wa'l- Jawáhir: He will cause to appear a religion that he holds within himself which even were the Messenger of God (Muhammad) to be alive, he would judge according to it. And in his time, there will only remain this religion, purified from personal opinion. The schools (madháhib) of the `ulamá will oppose most of his ordinances (ahkámihi). And they will be dismayed at him on account of this for they will consider that, after their leadership, God will not allow a single mujtahid to remain.(12) God will change the Arab people for Persians >From the Sahih of at-Tirmidhí: Abú Hurayra said: Some of the companions of the Messenger of God (upon him be greetings and praise) said: `O Messenger of God! Who are those people about whom God has said that if we turn back (from the Path), He will substitute in our stead another people and they would not be like us (Qur'án 47:38)?' And Salman (the Persian) was beside the Messenger of God and the Messenger of God struck him (on the thigh) and took Salman and said: `This man and his people. By the One in whose hand is my soul! Were faith to be suspended in the Pleiades men from among the Persians would attain unto it.'(13) The majority of the early followers of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh were Persians The Last Remaining Supporter of the Mahdí will come to `Akká In al-Futuhát al-Makkiyyah, Shaykh Muhyi ad-Dín ibn al-`Arabí records the following hadíth concerning the Mahdí and his supporters or ministers (wuzará): He (the Mahdí) will emerge at a time of decline in religion. God will constrain through him what was not constrained though the Qur'án, such that a man who is ignorant, cowardly and miserly one evening will be transformed to being learned, brave and generous on the morrow . . . He will witness the most mighty battle (Armageddon), the banquet of God, upon the plain of `Akká. He will banish tyranny and those who espouse it and he will revive religion . . . His martyrs will be the best of martyrs and his trusted ones the most excellent of trustees. In order to help him, God has kept hidden in a secret place a people whom He has made aware of the concealed and revealed realities of things and of whatever God has ordained for His servants. And they will make their decisions through their consultations . . . And his supporters whom God has caused to help him - in accordance with His words `It is incumbent upon Us to help the believers (Qur'án 30:47)' - they will follow in the footsteps of those of the companions (of the Prophet) who held true to the covenant that they had made with God. And they will all be Persians, there being no Arabs among them, but they will speak Arabic . . . They are the most favoured of the supporters and the most excellent of the trustees . . . And all of them will be killed except one who will be upon the plain of `Akká, the divine table that God has laid out for all creatures.(14) The Báb (the Mahdí) emerged at the time of the decline of the religion of Islam and ordained new laws and teachings to revive religion. Concerning his leading followers (the text used the word vazír, plural wuzará, which can be translated as `supporters' or `ministers', but which I have rendered here as `leading followers'), they were mostly Persians, but being of the religious class, they spoke Arabic. All of the leading disciples of the Báb were martyred in Iran and, of the rest, the most prominent was Bahá'u'lláh who was exiled to `Akká in Syria. This Tradition mentions making decisions through consultation which is what the Bahá'ís do (see p. XXX). The table with food laid out is also mentioned in the Qur'án (5:112-115) as being a miracle of Christ, here being mentioned in relation to the returned Christ. Bahá'ís consider that it refers to a heavenly feast of spiritual food. NOTES 10. Al-Bukhárí, Sahíh, Book 43 - Oppressions , no. 656, vol. 3, p. 395; at-Tirmidhí, Sahíh, Abwáb al-Fitan, vol. 9, p. 75-7 11. Abú Dáwúd, Sunan, 37 - Kitáb Al-Maláhim, vol. 2, p. 432; Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 4, p. 406 12. Ash-Sha`rání, al-Yawáqít wa'l-Jawáhir, vol. 2, ch. 65, p. 143. Al- Sha`ráni states that he is quoting Ibn `Arabí, al-Futúhát al-Makkiyyah, apparently from chapter 366 on `Knowing the station of the supporters of the Mahdí who will appear at the end of time', vol. 3, pp. 106, but the wording is slightly different in the text of Ibn `Arabí in the edition that I have used (see Bibliography). In Shi`i Traditions there are similar statements, but these are about the Mahdí, however: a new book and a new religion: `He will come with a new Cause - just as Muhammad, at the beginning of Islam, summoned the people to a new Cause - and with a new book'; opposition of the `ulamá to the Mahdí: `The Qá'im [Mahdí] will come to a people who will interpret the Book of God against him and will bring proofs from it against him'; both Traditions are in al- Nu`mání, al-Ghayba quoted in Majlisí, Bihár al-Anwár (lithograph ed.), vol. 13, p. 192-3. 13. At-Tirmidhí, Sahíh, Abwab at-Tafsir, Chapter on the Tafsír of Súra of Muhammad, vol. 12, p. 146. At-Tirmidhí gives several chains of transmission for this hadíth and another similar one. English translation may be found in at-Tibrízí, Mishkat al-Masabih, vol. 4, p. 1375. The Shi`i commentary on the Qur'án, al-Fayd al-Káshání, Kitáb as- Sáfí, quotes a similar Tradition, vol. 2, p. 572-3 14. Ibn al-`Arabí, al-Futúhát al-Makkiyyah, chapter 366 on `Knowing the station of the supporters of the Mahdí who will appear at the end of time', vol. 3, pp. 106-8. See also ash-Sha`rání, al-Yawáqít wa'l- Jawáhir, vol. 2, ch. 65, p. 143-4. -- Dr Moojan Momen __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:arch...@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-547726-27401.54f46e81b66496c9909bcdc2f7987...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to ly...@list.jccc.edu Or subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
