Contradictions

Bahā’u’llāh:
“Contradiction has and will not ever have a way in the sanctified realm of the Divine Manifestations.”

Reference: Bahā’u’llāh, Badī`, p. 126.

Is the Principle “Religion Must Be the Source of Unity and Fellowship in the World” New?

`Abdu’l-Bahā: This is a new principle brought forth by my father.

“He sets forth a new principle for this day in the announcement that religion must be the cause of unity, harmony and agreement among mankind. If it is the cause of discord and hostility, if it leads to separation and creates conflict, the absence of religion would be preferable in the world,”

Reference: `Abdu’l-Bahā, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 454–455.

`Abdu’l-Bahā: All prophets came to create love and kindness among the people.

“All the Prophets came to nurture the people so that the immature individuals could reach maturity and to bring about kindness and love among the people, not hatred and enmity,”

Reference:`Abd al-Ḥamīd Ishrāq Khāwarī, Payām-i malakūt, p. 65.

 

Is Bābism a Religion?

`Abdu’l-Bahā: If religion causes enmity and war, it is not a religion.

Reference: `Abd al-Ḥamīd Ishrāq Khāwarī, Payām-i malakūt, pp. 44–45.

Ponder on: The conflicts among the Bābīs over the title of Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest.

Twenty seven people among the Bābīs brought themselves forth as the Promised One in the Book of Bayān, such as Mīrzā Yaḥyā Ṣubḥ Azal, Mīrzā Ḥusayn `Alī Nūrī (Bahā’u’llāh), Mīrzā Asad-Allāh Dayyān, Mīrzā Muḥammad Nabīl Zarandī, Mīrzā Ghughā Darwīsh, and Sayyid Baṣīr Hindī.

Reference: Muḥammad `Alī Fayḍī, Ḥaḍrat Bahā’u’llāh, pp. 103–104.

The massacres and bloody wars that were started on the Bab’s orders in three different parts of Iran.

Reference: Nabīl Zarandī, The Dawn-Breakers: Nabīl’s Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahā’ī Revelation, chapters XIX, XXII, XIV.

The Bab’s orders to behead and massacre those who did not believe in him.

“The utterance of the [book or religion] of Bayān in the day of the appearance of his Highness A`lā (meaning the Bāb) was to behead, burn the books, destroy the monuments, and massacre [everyone] but those who believed [in the Bāb’s religion] and verified it,”

Reference:`Abdu’l-Bahā, Makātīb (Egypt: 1330 AH), vol. 2, p. 266

“The unbelievers and the faithless have set their minds on four things: first, the shedding of blood [beheading]; second, the burning of books; third, the shunning of the followers of other religions; fourth, the extermination of other communities and groups. Now however, through the strengthening grace and potency of the Word of God these four barriers have been demolished, these clear injunctions have been obliterated from the Tablet and brutal dispositions have been transmuted into spiritual attributes.”

Reference: Bahā’u’llāh, Tablets of Bahā’u’llāh Revealed After the Kitāb-i-Aqdas, p. 91.

 

Were the Bābī Wars Solely Defensive?

Baha’i History books: The Bāb’s followers were a peaceful oppressed people who only defended their women and children against the evil Persians.

“That humiliating episode was soon followed by a number of similar attempts on the part of the supporters of the governor, all of which utterly failed to achieve their purpose. Every time they rushed to attack the fort, Hujjat would order a few of his companions, who were three thousand in number, to emerge from their retreat and scatter their forces. He never failed, every time he gave them such orders, to caution his fellow-disciples against shedding unnecessarily the blood of their assailants. He constantly reminded them that their action was of a purely defensive character, and that their sole purpose was to preserve inviolate the security of their women and children. “We are commanded,” he was frequently heard to observe, “not to wage holy war under any circumstances against the unbelievers, whatever be their attitude towards us,”

Reference: Nabīl Zarandī, The Dawn-Breakers: Nabīl’s Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahā’ī Revelation, p. 546.

Bahā’u’llāh and `Abdul’-Bahā: The Bāb gave the order to massacre and behead all non-Bābīs.

“The utterance of the [book or religion] of Bayān in the day of the appearance of his Highness A`lā (meaning the Bāb) was to behead, burn the books, destroy the monuments, and massacre [everyone] but those who believed [in the Bāb’s religion] and verified it,”

Reference: `Abdu’l-Bahā, Makātīb (Egypt: 1330 AH), vol. 2, p. 266.

“The unbelievers and the faithless have set their minds on four things: first, the shedding of blood [beheading]; second, the burning of books; third, the shunning of the followers of other religions; fourth, the extermination of other communities and groups. Now however, through the strengthening grace and potency of the Word of God these four barriers have been demolished, these clear injunctions have been obliterated from the Tablet and brutal dispositions have been transmuted into spiritual attributes.”

Reference: Bahā’u’llāh, Tablets of Bahā’u’llāh Revealed After the Kitāb-i-Aqdas, p. 91.

 

Is Baha’ism a Religion?

`Abdu’l-Bahā: If a religion causes divisions it is not a religion.

“Religion should create unity and create links between the hearts. Jesus and the other divine prophets came to create unity and fellowship. If religion causes divisions, its non-existence is preferred.,”

Reference: `Abd al-Ḥamīd Ishrāq Khāwarī, Payām-i malakūt, p. 59.

Ponder On: The conflicts between Bahā’u’llāh and his brother Mīrzā Yaḥyā.

The conflicts, feuds, and bloodshed between Bahā’u’llāh and his brother Mīrzā Yaḥyā Ṣubḥ Azal and their followers resulted in the exile of the Azalīs (the supporters of Mīrzā Yaḥyā Ṣubḥ Azal) to Cyprus and the Baha’is to Palestine.

The conflicts between `Abdu’l-Bahā and his brother Muḥammad `Alī.

Bahā’u’llāh had willed that his successor would be Ghuṣn A`ẓam (`Abdu’l-Bahā’) and after him Ghuṣn Akbar (`Abdu’l-Bahā’s brother Muḥammad `Alī): “God has destined the station [for] Ghuṣn Akbar after his position (meaning `Abdu’l-Bahā’), for He is the Commanding Wise. We chose the Akbar after the A`ẓam, an order from the All Knowing and Aware (God). All must show kindness towards the two Ghuṣns . . . All must respect and admire the two Ghuṣns,”

Reference: Bahā’u’llāh, Majmū`iy-i alwāḥ-i mubārak-ih, pp. 302–303.

After Bahā’u’llāh’s death the two brothers differed on the amount of authority they had and fights ensued between them and their followers.

The disputes between Shoghi and those who opposed his successorship.

According to Bahā’u’llāh’s orders the successor after `Abdu’l-Bahā was supposed to be his brother Ghuṣn Akbar. `Abdu’l-Bahā disobeyed this decree and instead appointed his own grandson Shoghi Effendi as his successor. This resulted in many differences and conflicts between Shoghi and many Baha’is who didn’t accept his authority.

The dispute between Rūḥiyyih Maxwell and Mason Remey.

In contrast to what `Abdu’l-Bahā had prophesized, Shoghi was sterile and had no children to succeed him. In a bid to become his successor, an internal conflict erupted between Bahā’u’llāh’s followers. Amongst these conflicts, the most intense was the one between Shoghi’s widow (Rūḥiyyih Maxwell) and Mason Remey (President of the International Baha’i Council). Mason Remey claimed that the UHJ established by Rūḥiyyih Maxwell was illegitimate and in a countermove the UHJ excommunicated Mason Remey from the Baha’i community.

 

Is Baha’ism the Cause of Hatred and Having No Religion Is Better than Being a Baha’i?

`Abdu’l-Bahā: If religion causes enmity and hatred it is not a religion.

“Religion must be the cause of unity and fellowship. If religion causes enmity it will have no result and having no religion is better. For it becomes the cause of enmity and hatred between humanity and whatever causes enmity is hated by God and whatever causes unity and fellowship is accepted and praised. If religion causes killing and savagery it is not religion and having no religion is better than that. For religion is meant to be a cure. If a cure causes sickness then of course, no cure is better than it. Thus, if religion causes war and slaughter, then of course, it is better to have no religion,”

Reference:`Abd al-Ḥamīd Ishrāq Khāwarī, Payām-i malakūt, pp. 44–45.

Bahā’u’llāh: When I claimed to be He Whom God Shall make Manifest, such hatred and envy occurred that had never existed to such a degree from the beginning of creation and never will occur again.

Reference: Bahā’u’llāh, The Kitāb-i-Īqān, p. 249.

I want to incite the fire of hatred in the chest of non-Baha’is.

Reference: Bahā’u’llāh, Āthār-i Qalam-i A`lā, vol. 1, no. 97, p. 339.

 

Are Other Peoples’ Beliefs Any of Our Business?

`Abdu’l-Bahā: Other people’s beliefs are none of our business. Issues of faith are relevant to God and he will handle them on the Day of Judgment. God has not made us the police of the peoples’ actions.

Reference: `Abdu’l-Bahā, Khaṭābāt (Tehran), vol. 2, pp. 284–285.

Bahā’u’llāh: Torment the deniers of Baha’ism.

“And you, oh friends of God, be clouds of grace for those who believe in God and his signs, and be certain torment for those who do not believe in God and are polytheists (deniers of Baha’ism),”

Reference: Bahā’u’llāh, Majmū`iy-i alwāḥ-i mubārak-ih, p. 216.

 

Befriending the Enemies or Being like Flame of Fire to Them?

Bahā’u’llāh: “If, God forbid, you have an enemy, do not see him as an enemy but rather a friend. Deal with your friends in the same way you deal with your enemy.”

Reference: Abdu’l-Bahā, Khaṭābāt (Egypt), vol. 1, p. 154.

Bahā’u’llāh: “Be like a flame of fire to my enemies and a river of eternal life to my friends.”

Reference: Bahā’u’llāh, Ad`iyyih-i ḥaḍrat-i maḥbūb (Egypt: Published by Faraj-Allāh Dhakī al-Kurdī, 1339 AH), p .184.

 

Kindness or Violence?

`Abdu’l-Bahā: When everyone was in utmost hatred and spite, Bahā’u’llāh invited the word to kindness and fellowship and brought about unity and agreement.

Reference: `Abdu’l-Bahā, Khaṭābāt (Tehran), vol. 2, p. 54.

Bahā’u’llāh’s Sister: Bahā’u’llāh and his followers murdered many people in Baghdad.

Reference: `Izziye Khānum (Khānum Buzurg), Tanbīh al-nā’imīn, pp. 11–12.

 

Is Religion a Cause of Fellowship or Fear?

`Abdu’l-Bahā: Religion must be a cause of fellowship. It must cause kindness. It must cause links among humanity.

“The third principle of his highness Bahā’u’llāh is that religion must be the source of fellowship. It must cause links among humanity,”

Reference: `Abdu’l-Bahā, Khaṭābāt (Tehran), vol. 2, p. 146.

`Abdu’l-Bahā: In Iraq, Bahā’u’llāh had caused such fear in the heart of the Muslims, that not a single person dared to protest against him.

Reference: `Abdu’l-Bahā, Makātīb (Egypt), vol. 2, p. 177.

Bahā’u’llāh: Once my followers conquer the lands they will cleanse them from non-Baha’is and everyone will fear them!

“God will soon take out from the sleeves of power the hands of strength and dominance and will make the Servant (Bahā’u’llāh) victorious and will cleanse the earth from the filth of every rejected polytheist (deniers of Baha’ism). And they will stand by the cause and will conquer the lands using my mighty eternal name and will enter the lands and they will be feared by all the servants,”

Reference: Bahā’u’llāh, Āthār-i Qalam-i A`lā, vol. 2, no. 90, p. 587.

Courtesy: Twelve Principles – A Comprehensive Investigation on the Bahai Teachings