for a long period of time, the origin of personifying the spiritual guide’s face in the prayer is continually considered as the customary rituals of Sufism cult in the cults Ne’matullahi and Oveysieh.[1] I searched to know the one who innovated this polytheistic innovation and when has such idolatrous method been customary…
After searching very much; according to the documented proofs and researches some hardworking people found its origin in the native rituals of the Indians, but it was preached among the creeds such as Sufism of Iran, Sheikism and Baha’ism since Ahmad Ehsaee compiled an epistle in this regard and mentioned in it that: “One must intend the Excellency commander of the faithful in the expression “Thee alone we worship and Thee alone we seek help” because God is of unknown essence and what is imagined by mind is created by the mind. So, the face of it must be intended that is the commander of the faithful –peace be upon him.[2]”
After narrating Ehsaee’s reason for personifying the face of the Excellency commander of the faithful –peace be upon him- late Tonekaboni writes: “As God is of unknown essence, the commander of the faithful (P.H.) is also of unknown essence in the minds, so if we imagine the commander of the faithful in our minds, that will be the mental creature. Thus, who was intended by the commander of the faithful when he was saying “Thee alone we worship and Thee alone we seek help?! In brief, this statement is out of Shia religion.[3]”
After discovering Ehsaee’s thesis and turned to it, people such as Hajji Mirza Hassan Safi Ali Shah and Mullah Soltan Gonabadi paid attention to late Tonekaboni’s method and ordered it would be better for the Sufi to imagine Sheikh’s face who is alive and present in order not to be suffered from the one of the unknown essence. In this way, the reasoning for the one of unknown essence changed into a theological principle in Sufism. The Sufi imaging the guide’s face[4] and the Baha’is imagine Abdul Baha’s face[5] that is undoubtedly polytheism and idolatry.
This measure is done by Sufism and Baha’ism to deviate and destroy Islam wished by Colonialism.
[۱] The contemporary scientist the Excellency Hajji Seyyed Muhammad Alawi Tabatabaee Boroujerdi states: one day, we were in Dr. Salehi’s house as guests in Boroujerd city. When we intended to pray and they opened prayer carpet for us, I saw Saleh Ali Shah Gonabadi’s photo in the prayer carpet. I figured out the importance of personifying the spiritual guid’s face by Sufism tribe
[۲] The stories of the scholars: 55.
[۳] The stories of the scholars: 55.
[۴] Modern idolatry.
[۵] Narrated by the faith news magazine, the national periodical of the Baha’is, No. 6, 1328, Mehr.
