The Baha'i Studies Listserv
Firouz Anaraki
fir...@thai-bahais.org
Wrote to our dear and respected and much loved brother Gilberto Simpson
> Hi Gilberto,
>
> Even though Baha'is may talk about Baha'is and non-Baha'is, we still
> believe in equality of rights for all humans. All have equal rights
> and opportunities.
And our brother Gilberto Simpson Replied
**
It's also worth pointing out that there is nothing in the Quran which says
"Thou shalt prevent the Bahais from getting a college education".. Part of the
treatment of the Bahais in Iran has to do with the specifics of Iranian society
and it isn't just all based on religion.**
Again Firouz said
> And we don't think non-Baha'is go to hell
Whereupon Gilberto replied:
That's not exactly true. Isn't recognizing the Manifestation for the current
age seen as a major obligation according to the Bahá’ís?
>From The summons of the Lord of Hosts
Suriy-i-Haykal
***It is even as ye witness in the present day: those who have disbelieved in
God and joined partners with Him cling to a single one of Our Names, and are
debarred from recognizing Him Who is the Creator of all Names. We testify that
such men are of a truth amongst the people of the Fire.**
Firouz can reply for himself of course and others so much better equipped than
this lowly one can engage in deep and spiritual conversation but I wish to make
two points as I always admire Gilberto’s mind and logic.
Firstly I will mention the second point above re the quote from the Tablet
revealed by Baha’u’llah in the Haykal.
Please Gilberto.
It can be read differently.
Baha’u’llah is here emphasizing the truth that “clinging to one name” being
attached to one name” “idolizing one name” to the detriment of realizing that
He Possesses ALL Names (= > All Revelations the One Common revelation), THAT
is the start of going away from the truth, becoming negative, turning away from
the entirety and wholeness of Divine Revelations and becoming engrossed and
entrapped by shirk which is hell itself.
**I testify, O Thou Who art the Lord of the whole creation, and the Desire of
whosoever hath sought Thee, that, amidst Thy creatures, They resemble the sun
which no matter how often it riseth and setteth is still the one and the same
sun. Whoso maketh any distinction between any of Them hath truly failed to
attain the ultimate purpose, and to reach the highest goal, and hath been
deprived of the mysteries of unity and of the lights of sanctity and oneness.
(Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 50)
This *deprivation* à i.e. been deprived of the mysteries of unity and of the
lights of sanctity and oneness leads to all sorrow and separation and this
*depriving oneself pertains as much to me as to any one else.
It is in this light that one may read the “Summons” Passage.
The onus is on all of us to see if Baha’u’llah does speak the truth. Is He also
that SUN that rose before and has risen again.
He HimSelf says I am the same Sun. I speak not of Myself.
All humanity is invited to consider this but this is *disagreeable* according
to the Holy Qur’an
await the day when the Summoner will summon them to a disagreeable thing
yawma yadAAu alddaAAi ila shay-in nukurin (Qur’an)
O King! I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes
of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all
that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and
All-Knowing. And He bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven, and for
this there befell Me what hath caused the tears of every man of understanding
to flow. The learning current amongst men I studied not; their schools I
entered not. Ask of the city wherein I dwelt, that thou mayest be well assured
that I am not of them who speak falsely. This is but a leaf which the winds of
the will of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised, have stirred. Can it be
still when the tempestuous winds are blowing? Nay, by Him Who is the Lord of
all Names and Attributes! They move it as they list. The evanescent is as
nothing before Him Who is the Ever-Abiding. His all-compelling summons hath
reached Me, and caused Me to speak His praise amidst all people.
(Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 96)
And dear Gilberto re your second point
".. Part of the treatment of the Bahá’ís in Iran has to do with the specifics
of Iranian society and it isn't just all based on religion.**
This is a big subject but it has to do also with how their religion is
interpreted.
You also said dearest Gilberto
**I'm going to give more weight to what scholars from Darul-uloom or from
Al-Azhar**
I beg of you on my knees: do not give weight to scholars qua scholars. Give
weight to your noble conscience the voice within the soul.
Read what they write but do not let your soul be affected by humans
Remember these warnings of Sura Ah.zaab
The Day they will say, "Oh, we wish we obeyed GOD, and obeyed the Messenger."
They will also say, "Our Lord, we have obeyed our masters and leaders, but they
led us astray.
And they shall say: O our Lord! surely we obeyed our leaders and our great men,
so they led us astray from the path;
THE essence of these words is this: they that tread the path of faith, they
that thirst for the wine of certitude, must cleanse themselves of all that is
earthly -- their ears from idle talk, their minds from vain imaginings, their
hearts from worldly affections, their eyes from that which perisheth. They
should put their trust in God, and, holding fast unto Him, follow in His way.
Then will they be made worthy of the effulgent glories of the sun of divine
knowledge and understanding, and become the recipients of a grace that is
infinite and unseen, inasmuch as man can never hope to attain unto the
knowledge of the All-Glorious, can never quaff from the stream of divine
knowledge 4 and wisdom, can never enter the abode of immortality, nor partake
of the cup of divine nearness and favour, unless and until he ceases to regard
the words and deeds of mortal men as a standard for the true understanding and
recognition of God and His Prophets.
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. i)
He sendeth down the angels with the Spirit of His command unto whom He will of
His bondmen, (saying): Warn mankind that there is no God save Me, so keep your
duty unto Me.
He sendeth as He sent before
Earlier I also wrote this
Recently there was again so much discussion on various lists on Muh.ammad
“sealing” all future Prophethood.
In the middle of the discussion I wrote this.
It may be of interest to you too.
****
According to all the Prayer Books of the Shi’his and most particularly Mafatih
ul Jinaan
The Imam 'Ali used to address this Visitation Address to the Prophet of Islam.
This Address of Visitation addressed by the Imam ‘Ali to the Soul of the
Prophet of God is important at its start for the fact that THREE names or
adjectives are used for the Prophet
Muh.ammad is called simultaneously by these three
Particular attention needs to be paid to the vowelization of the “t” of Khaatam
or Khaatim.
Please note these three adjectives of the Prophet of Islam:
1 ) khaatam خاتَمِ as per 33:40 [this is the locus classicus of what is
interpreted as "finality"]
2) then He is called KHAATIM وَالْخاتِمِ [the closer/the terminator of that
which preceded Him i.e the preceding Dispensations]
3) and then immediately Muh.ammad is called the "FAATIH." وَالْفاتِحِ i.e. the
opener of all that will come to pass in the future
This is the address addressed by the Imam ‘Ali to the Soul of the Prophet and
all Moslems are to address Him thus: and I have provided web references just
two but there are so many in number
http://www.mezan.net/mawsouat/ali/ziyarat/z_ghadir.html
اَلسَّلامُ عَلى مُحَمَّد رَسُولِ اللهِ خاتَمِ النَّبِيّينَ وَسَيِّدِ
الْمُرْسَلينَ، وَصَفْوَةِ رَبِّ الْعالَمينَ، اَمينِ اللهِ عَلى وَحْيِهِ
وَعَزائِمِ اَمْرِهِ، وَالْخاتِمِ لِما سَبَقَ، وَالْفاتِحِ لِمَا اسْتُقْبِلَ،
And again
http://www.hyderya.net/hashemya33/mafatih/meftah19.htm#_toc516989449
and yet again
http://www.rafed.net/books/doaa/kamil/k15.html
and what is most interesting for us is that Baha’u’llah Himself refers to this
Address of Visitation of the Imam ‘Ali in a Tablet He revealed on the first Day
of Rid.wan 1863.
*** the "Suriy-i-Sabr" (Surih of Patience), revealed on the first day of Ridvan
which extols Vahid and his fellow-sufferers in Nayriz
(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 140)
** In the Suriy-i-Sabr, revealed as far back as the year 1863, on the very
first day of His arrival in the garden of Ridvan, He thus affirms: "God hath
sent down His Messengers to succeed to Moses and Jesus, and He will continue to
do so till 'the end that hath no end'; so that His grace may, from the heaven
of Divine bounty, be continually vouchsafed to mankind.
(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 116)
http://bahai-library.org/provisionals/surih.sabr.html
***Reveal unto them what the Dove of the Spirit has sung in the holy and
beloved Ridvan haply they may follow the interpretation of the term "Seal" as
was uttered by the Tongue of the Name of God 'Ali, He Who was firmly grounded
in knowledge, in His Visitation of the Prophet. He said in truth, "Muhammad the
Sealer of what preceded Him and the Initiator of that which was to come." In
this was uttered the significance of the term of Seal from that unapproachably
holy tongue. Thus did God ordain Him to be the Seal of those Prophets that
preceded Him and an Initiator of the Advent of Messengers to come after
Him.***
اِذاً فَاَلْقِ عَلَيْهِمْ ما غَرَّدَتْ بِه حَمامَةُ الرُّوحِ فی رِضْوانِ قُدْسٍ
مَحْبُوباً لَعَلَّ
يَتَّبِعُونَ ما فُسِّرَ فِی الْخَتْمِ عَنْ لِسانِ الَّذی کانَ راسِخاً فِی
الْعِلْمِ فی زِيارَةِ اِسْمِ اللّهِ عَلِيّاً قالَ وَ قَوْلُهُ الْحَقُّ
الْخاتَمُ لِما سَبَقَ وَ الْفاتِحُ لِمَا اسْتُقْبِلَ وَ کَذلِکَ ذُکِرَ مَعْنَی
الْخَتْمِ مِنْ لِسانِ قُدْسٍ مَنيْعاً
کَذلِکَ جَعَلَ اللّهُ
حَبيْبَهُ خاتَماً لِما سَبَقُوهُ مِنَ النَّبِيّينَ وَ فاتِحاً لِما يَاْتی مِنَ
الْمُرْسَلينَ مِنْ بَعْدُ اِذاً تَفَکَّرُوا
Please God we may be fair in our judgement before the Judgement seat of God in
the world beyond especially as Baha’u’llah is so clear and lucid and cogent in
His Divine Argument…****
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