Concerning the book Aghdas (the holy book of the Baha’is), several Baha’i and non-Baha’i thinkers have presented various viewpoints.
Hermann Roemer, the Christian researcher and author considers the book Aghdas as in lack of logical classification and believes that the divine, moral, organizational and, civil rules and commandments in this book are subsequent messed up and the personal materials are placed optionally.
Romer writes about the date of writing this work:
The book Aghdas has been created in the first decade after Bahaullah’s arrival in Acre, but there isn’t any exact date for it. The work has been completed in 1875 A.D and is in Arabic language. At first, Bahaullah published it in the form of handwriting text and then in 1880 A.D. he commissioned one his followers to print it in India.
The book Aghdas has not been published in the form of complete text and some of its contents are unknown for the Baha’is. Apparently, to avoid the awareness of the westerners of the unpleasant materials existing in the main books and works of the Baha’is, these writings are being printed and published selectively the current leaders of the Baha’i community.
In 1973 A.D., the Bahaism leadership in Haifa published a copy of the book entitled the summary and compilation of the limitations and commandments of the book Aghdas and hid some parts of it clearly from the Baha’is. Translating, complete publishing or some parts of it into other languages are forbidden.
The English translation of the Aghdas was published in 1961 by Dr. Erl. A. Elder and William Mac Miller, but the universal Baha’i center in Haifa introduced it as incorrect Christian work and announced reading it forbidden for the Baha’is.
In this book, the complete stating of worships and five columns of Babi creed have been presented; that is, testifying, prayer, fasting, tither and Hajj. The Baha’i rituals and also civil penal and governmental limitations (citizenship) alongside with several personal advice, hidden pointing and warnings about the opponents of the Baha’i faith are found.
Roemer has written the syllabus of the content of the book Aghdas in a topic arrangement that are as follows. He has also stated his critical view based on the mentioned classification:
۱) Baha’is worships
In the book Aghdas, the Islamic commandment have been abolished and the Babi ones have been accepted. Testifying to God which has been stated in the holy Quran is kept and believing in Bahaullah is introduced as the necessity for prosperity. The validity time of the book Aghdas is one thousand years. Five-time prayer in Islam has decreased to three, and a nine-unit of prayer has been replaced. The Baha’is kiblah is towards Acre.
Fasting is 19 days and starts before Nowrouz.
Hajj and pilgrimage trip to the greatest house (the residential of Bahaullah in Bagdad) and Bab’s house in Shiraz in Shishegaran locality is necessary to be performed just for women. Due to the existent problems in Bagdad and Shiraz cities, the Baha’is don’t have any place for Hajj and Bab’s monument and Bahaullah’s resting place in Haifa are the Baha’is shrines.
۲) The general moral commandments of the Baha’is:
In the book Aghdas, the illegitimacy of Kissing hands and prohibition of shaving head hair completely and having mustache are prescribed and it is stressed on sitting on chair and using knives and forks eating food.
In the book Aghdas, the Islamic cover has been omitted and it is not necessary for boys to be circumcised. Meanwhile, the laws and regulations of the country are a head of the Baha’i commandments.
The Baha’ dead bodies are buried like Muslims. They are put into a crystal or stone or wooden coffin to be put into graves. A ring bearing the greatest name is buried with it. The dead body is washed with rosewater and it is wrapped into silk. The burial place of the dead body mustn’t be more than an hour far from the place where it died.
۳) The civil rights commandments:
It is spoken about marriage very much in the book Aghdas. Marriage is necessary for all the faithful. Marriage is compulsory in Bahaism because it is God’s order.
It is said in the book Aghdas that order to marriage is eternal. In hidden words, marriage has been ordered. It is natural that this commandment isn’t paid attention in the western countries. The age of marriage is determined as 15 years of age. Men are allowed to get married with two wives; although this action is not advisable. Polygamy is allowed just for men and women must remain monogamy.
The Baha’is are silent concerning the issue of polygamy so that there isn’t such commandment in the book Aghdas; as if, because this commandment is not acceptable for the western and European Baha’is.
Engagement period mustn’t last more than 95 days. Dowry must be paid to bride by the groom which is 19 mithqals of pure gold for urban girls and is this amount of pure silver for rural girls. Dowry which is more than 95 methqals is not allowable. The dowry commandment must be paid to women by men is not acceptable by the westerners.
In the book Aghdas, divorce has been reproached although it is not forbidden. The man is right to divorce and women cannot divorce. Men and women can think about divorce for a year and before a year, they cannot divorce.
Violating this law is punished and the violator must pay 19 methqal of gold to the universal house of justice in Haifa.
In heritage, 7 groups will inherit: offspring, wife, father, mother, brother, sister and instructors who are as follows:
– offspring: 540 shares out of 2520 ones.
– wife: 480 shares out of 2520 ones.
– father: 420 shares out of 2520 ones.
– mother: 360 shares out of 2520 ones.
– brother 300 shares out of 2520 ones.
– sister: 240 shares out of 2520 ones.
– instructor: 180 shares out of 2520 ones.
Non-Baha’is don’t inherit.
It is worthy to be mentioned that this kind of dividing heritage that non-Baha’is are deprived of heritage is against the principle of oneness of humane world. This commandment cannot be presented to the Baha’is and the non-Baha’is of the west.
The inheritance shares of women are less than men’s and it is against the principle of the equality of men and women in Bahaism.
Additionally, the residential land of the dead person is given to the eldest son. So, the Baha’i open-minded people consider this Bahaullah’s commandment as patriarchal and oppose it.
۴) Governmental law commandments:
The criminal law of the book Aghdas is mainly dependent on Bayan book and contains violent commandments such as the punishment of death with fire for a person who burns a house intentionally or branding thieves’ foreheads who has robbed for the third time and dismissing thieves out of cities and the Baha’i residing regions.
In Babism, learning foreign languages and foreign in sciences have been prohibited, but Bahaullah made it a duty.
Bahaullah considers each kind of investigation and criticism by the scholars as ineffective.
Bahaullah has forbidden his followers to interpret the contents of the book Aghdas, while his ancestors and he himself interpreted the books of other religions as they desired in order to strengthen and prove his claims by deviating and forging.
Source: Bahaism from the Christian critics and open-minded people’s points of view, pp.49-55.
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