He is the founder of Babism. He was Sheikh Kazem Rashti [1]’s pupil. He claimed to be the Gate for Imam of the Time, Imamate, prophethood and divinity exploiting the thoughts of Sheikism.
Bab claimed to be first the gate of the twelfth Imam, and then the Imam himself. The Baha’is even claimed that the Bab was an independent prophet. However there is one claim which even the Baha’is are probably not aware – or even if they are, they have chosen for obvious reason to remain silent and hope that nobody notices – the fact that the Bab claimed to be God himself.
The Bab said, “Surely Ali before Mohammed (the numerical equivalent of Nabeel) is the spirit of Allah and His being.”
(Ref: Lauhe Haikal-ud-Deen, page 5)
For the benefit of my Baha’i friends, I have included the actual words of the Bab in Arabic as well as the actual link of the page [2] on which the above statement is recorded. The history of this book as reported by the followers of the Bayan is given below:
Lauhe Haikal-ud-Deen: The Talisman of The Religion
This manuscript covered in 36 pages is a transcript of a talisman (tablet) in which The Bab has included a summary of Bayanic provisions during the latter days of his life. It is obvious that this work is the very talisman that The Bab has referred to as ‘The Talisman of the Religion’ in an introduction to a commentary on its first two chapters. It is evident from the commentary that the first chapter was written on the1st day of the sixth month of the seventh year of the Bayanic manifestation and the second chapter was written on the 2nd of the same month (23rd and 24th June 1850 A.D or 12th and 13th of Sha’ban 1266 A.H). The commencement of the seventh year (of Bayanic manifestation) occurred on 5th of the 1st Jamadi 1266A.H (19th March 1850) which coincides with the first Bayani New Year.
Evidently, this precious work was written very close to the martyrdom of the Bab on 8th July 1850, only fourteen days prior to the martyrdom of the Bab. The statement of the Bab narrated in this article is presented from the version copied by the late Mirza Muhammad Taqi of Isfahan a very accurate and precise scriber.
آنچه در ادامه می خوانید
Conclusion
The claim of the Bab as God is the concluding part of the series on the Claims of The Bab. The article on the last and final claim of the Bab as per Lauhe Haikal-ud-Deen represents the mental condition of the Bab in his final days in imprisonment. It is clear that the Bab had lost his mind and was not in his correct senses. This assessment is not very different from that presented by the scholars who abstained from giving a death sentence to the Bab in Tabriz merely because they pronounced him insane.
I do hope that the series of articles on the “Claims of the Bab [6]” establishes without any doubt that the Bab was not clear on what his position was. In my own humble opinion, he was simply nothing – probably just a pawn in the hands of those who wanted to split the Muslim community in Iran to control it.
The Baha’is must do some serious introspection. The credibility of the greatest exponent of the Baha’i Faith is under the scanner. They must act on the principle of Independent “Investigation of the Truth” just as I have done and be courageous and magnanimous in their acceptance of the truth.
the Bab, the Gate / Door to the Twelfth Imam?
This was the first claim of the Bab and the one made to establish that he enjoyed a special relationship with Imam Mahdi (as). This claim is reflected in the earlier writings of the Bab wherein he outlines his beliefs in the Imamate of the 12 Imams.
At the outset, it is important to let my readers know that the concept of the need for an intermediary to the twelfth Imam in the greater occultation (ghaybate’ kubra) was propagated by the leaders of the Shaykhi sect. The Bab made this claim to draw the Shaykhis toward himself and to establish himself as the head of the Shaykhi sect after the demise of Sayyed Kazim Rashty. His earlier followers too believed in him simply as the gate of the hidden Imam and not as the Imam himself. This is proved by the following statement in Dawn Breakers,
“The next person whom Quddus met in Shiraz was Ismu’llahu’l-Asdaq, Mulla Sadiq-i-Khurasani, to whom he entrusted the copy of the Khasa’il-i-Sab’ih, and stressed the necessity of putting into effect immediately all its provisions. Among its precepts was the emphatic injunction of the Bab to every loyal believer to add the following words to the traditional formula of the adhan I bear witness that He whose name is Ali-Qabl-i-Muhammad (The Bab) is the servant of the Baqiyyatu’-llah.”
(Ref: Dawn Breakers [7], page 144)
The premise for this claim of the Bab is that he believed in the twelve Shiite Imams – starting from Ali ibne Abi Talib (as) and ending with Mohammed ibnil Hasan (the twelfth Imam).
If we accept his claim of being the Bab of the hidden twelfth Imam, then firstly – we must accept automatically that Bab accepted the 11 Imams who preceded him. Traditions from the Imams (as) indicate that Imam Mahdi would have two periods of occultation (ghaybat) – the first of which would be longer than the second. During the lesser occultation (ghaybat-e-sughra ended 329 AH), the Imam had four deputies
» Usman bin Saeed Amri
» Mohammed bin Usman
» Hussain bin Rauh Nawbakhti
» Ali bin Mohammed Samari
The Bab acknowledges this fact in his book Tafseere’ Surah Kauthar.
There is no doubt about the existence of the Hidden Imam. The reason is that if he did not exist no one else would have existed. As such, this matter is as clear as the sun in the sky. The problem is that the necessary corollary of doubt in his existence is doubt in God’s power. Anyone who doubts the existence of God is a disbeliever. . . . As for the Muslims and the believers among the followers of the Twelve Imams, the Imamiyya, the period of his birth is proven (may my spirit and the spirit of all those in the realm of the spiritual beings — malakut — be a sacrifice for his Excellency!). Moreover, his short occultation and the miracles that took place in those days, as well as the signs that were given to his deputies, are also proven beyond any doubt. . . . He (the twelfth Imam) is a righteous offspring. His patronymic is Abu al-Qasim (the same nick name as the Holy Prophet Muhammad). He is the one invested with God’s command (al-qa’im bi-amr allah), the proof of God’s existence for God’s creatures, the remaining one (baqiyyat allah) among the servants of God, the Mahdi who will guide people to the mysterious matters.
The Master of the Age (wali ‘asr) will have two (forms of) occultation. During the lesser occultation, he had trustworthy and intimate deputies and agents. The period of the lesser occultation lasted for seventy four years and some days. The deputies of the respected master (may our spirits be a sacrifice for him!) include: ‘Uthman b. Sa’id ‘Amri and his son, Muhammad b. ‘Uthman, Husayn b. Ruh, and ‘Ali b. Muhammad Samarri.
In the above book, Bab has acknowledged the following:
۱- There was a hidden Imam in the year 1,260 AH. Bab had no doubt whatsoever in his mind. This is reflected in his statement that the matter about the hidden Imam is as clear as the sun in the sky.
۲- Harboring a doubt about the hidden Imam, in Bab’s view, is akin to having a doubt in God’s power which is equivalent, once again in Bab’s view to disbelief.
۳- Bab had no doubts about the birth of the hidden Imam. He even acknowledged the name – Mohammed, the patronymic – Abul Qasim and addressed the Imam with his titles – Mahdi, Al Qaem bi amr allah, baqiyyat allah and wali ‘asr.
۴- The Bab testifies to the Imam sending letters to his deputies in his lesser occultation.
۵- The Bab recounts the deputies of the twelfth Imam in the correct order of their appointment.
It is when we read Bab’s Tafseere’ Surah Kauthar, we recognize that it is this twelfth Imam – Mohammed ibnil Hasan and not Bahaullah who Bab has referred to in the following statements,
“O Remnant of God (Baqiatullah), I am wholly sacrificed to thee; I am content with the curses in thy way. , and have yearned for naught but martyrdom in the path of Thy love”
(Ref: Qayyamul Asma, The Bab. Quoted from Traveller’s Narrative [8], Page 3)
“I bear witness that He whose name is Ali-Qabl-i-Muhammad (The Bab) is the servant of the Baqiyyatu’-llah.”
(Ref: Dawn Breakers [7], page 144)
Having read the above, is there any further proof required for an objective reader that the Bab was neither the twelfth Imam nor the gate to the Imam.
Those who require further proof on the subject can refer to the book Dawn Breakers translated by Shoghi Effendi,
“Shaykh Abu-Turab questioned the Bab regarding the nature and character of His Revelation. The Bab denied the claim of being either the representative of the promised Qa’im or the intermediary between Him and the faithful.”
(Ref: Dawn Breakers [9], page 151)
The Bab, as He faced the congregation, declared: “The condemnation of God be upon him who regards me either as a representative of the Imam or the gate thereof. The condemnation of God be also upon whosoever imputes to me the charge of having denied the unity of God, of having repudiated the prophethood of Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, of having rejected the truth of any of the messengers of old, or of having refused to recognize the guardianship of Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, or of any of the imams who have succeeded him.” He then ascended to the top of the staircase, embraced the Imam-Jum’ih, and, descending to the floor of the Masjid, joined the congregation for the observance of the Friday prayer
(Ref: Dawn Breakers [9], page 154)
Readers must note that there is no tradition which indicates that there would be more than four deputies. In fact the concluding communication from the twelfth Imam to the fourth deputy Ali bin Mohammed Samari clearly indicates that there would be no deputies to follow him.
Despite the claim, there is nothing which establishes that Bab ever enjoyed a special relation with the hidden Imam. All the four deputies, from time to time, produced documents signed and sealed by the hidden Imam to conclusively establish their relationship with the hidden Imam. People wrote letters to the Imam, sometimes with their fingers for the sake of secrecy, and received replies to their questions from the Imam though the deputies. Bab produced no documents whatsoever.
To conclude, the claim of the Bab to be the gate / door to the hidden Imam was merely political in nature. The Shaykhis were without any leader. More than four months had passed since the death of Sayyed Kazim Rashty and the position of the leader of the Shaykhis was available to the one who would stake claim to it. The Bab and other prominent Shaykhis did so. The Bab simply managed to garner more support than the others and in doing so opened the gate for himself to be the door to the Hidden Imam.
Was the Bab the Hidden Twelfth Imam?
The Baha’is claim that Bab was the return of the Twelfth Imam. By his advent, Islam was completed; the Day of Judgment dawned thus paving the way for a new prophet or dispensation.
This claim is probably the most important one from the Baha’i point of view for if it is proved that Bab was not the twelfth Imam, then one can automatically conclude that Islam is not complete [10] (as the twelfth Imam is yet to appear; the Day of Judgement is yet to dawn). I fail to understand that in the event of such a conclusion, where does it leave Bab and subsequently the Baha’is?
The importance of this belief can also be gauged by the fact that during my conversations with Baha’is, they do not offer consistent responses to the question about the position of the Bab as the twelfth Imam. Consider the responses which I have received from the Baha’is on this subject
۱-Baha’is at the outset, deny that Imam Hasan Askari (as) had any son
۲- Next, they raise objections about his mother to disprove his birth
۳- When the above points are disproved, i.e., the twelfth Imam was born, the Baha’is will claim that Bab is the return of the twelfth Imam. On pressing them further, they say that Bab is the “return of the attributes” of the twelfth Imam.
۴- Baha’is also say that Bab is the “spiritual return” of the twelfth Imam.
۵- Finally, they say that Bab fulfilled the prophecies of the twelfth Imam.
The varied responses indicates that the Baha’is are a confused lot. Yet, to prove the accension of Bahaullah, they need to prove that the Bab was the twelfth Imam. It will be my attempt to establish through his article that the Bab was not the twelfth Imam which he pompously announced at his examination at Tabriz.
Before delving into the topic, I leave my readers with the following tradition from the 6th Shiite Imam – Jafare’ Sadiq (as) which the Bab testifies to in his book Tafseere’ Surah Kauthar.
The Bab writes, “Imam Sadiq has related in a lengthy tradition, saying: “The occultation of our Qa’im will be denied by the umma. Some will say, without any knowledge: The Imam was never born; others will say: he was born, but he died. Still others will become disbelievers and will say: The eleventh Imam had no offspring at all. Some will spread factionalism in the community by what they say, and will go beyond the twelve Imams and will count thirteen or more Imams. There will be those who will cause God’s anger to engulf them by saying: The spirit of the Qa’im is speaking through another person.”
Bab asserts that he is not the twelfth Imam
At multiple times in his lifetime, Bab asserted that he was not the promised Imam. Consider the following quotations from the Bab:
-God, verily, hath decreed that this Book be divulged in interpretation (tafsir) of the “Best of Narratives” on the part of Muhammad, the son of Hasan, the son of Ali, son of Muhammad, the son of Ali, the son of Musa, the son of Ja`far, the son of Muhammad, the son of Ali, the son of Husayn, the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib unto His servant (The Bab) to the end that it might be an eloquent Proof of God from the Remembrance (al-dhikr) unto all the worlds.
(Ref: Qayyamul Asma, Surah Mulk, verse 10)
– In the book Dalaaelus Sabah [11], page 47, he asserts that the Qaem is M-H-M-D (the Arabic alphabets for Mohammed, the name of the hidden Imam). He in fact quotes the tradition enscribed in the Tablet of Fatemah in this treatise.
– In the book Sahifae’ Adaliyah [12], not once, but twice on pages 18 and 27, the Bab refers to the twelfth Imam as Hujjat Al Qaem Mohammed Ibnil Hasan Sahebaz Zaman.
– In Tafseere’ Surah Kauthar, the Bab says, “He (the twelfth Imam) is a righteous offspring. His patronymic is Abu al-Qasim (the same nick name as the Holy Prophet Muhammad). He is the one invested with God’s command (al-qa’im bi-amr allah), the proof of God’s existence for God’s creatures, the remaining one (baqiyyat allah) among the servants of God, the Mahdi who will guide people to the mysterious matters.”
The above quotations make it amply clear that the Bab did not consider himself to be the 12th Imam or the Qaem or the Mahdi. In fact the Bab is so clear on this aspect that he chose to repeat it, at least four different points of time in his life. Why are the Baha’is insisting that the Bab was the twelfth Imam?
Taking the entire discussion a step forward, the assertions of the Bab make it amply clear that the Bab considered himself to be a slave, a servant of the twelfth Imam. Moreover consider the following narration from the Bab in Tafseere’ Surah Kauthar,
“One day I was busy praying in the holy mosque of Mecca, on the side of the Yamani pillar (of the Kaaba). I noticed a well built and good looking young man who was deeply involved in performing the circumambulation (tawaf). He had a white turban on his head and a woolen cloak on his shoulder. He was with the merchants’ group from Fars. There was no more than a few steps of distance between us. All of a sudden a thought came to my mind that he could be the Master of the Command (sahib al-amr). But I was embarrassed to go closer to him. When I finished my prayers I did not find him. Nevertheless, I am not so sure that he was the Master of the Command.”
Now where is the question of him considering Bab as the twelfth Imam when the Bab himself says that he considered another person in Mecca as the twelfth Imam.
Having said that, it is clear that the Bab did make a claim to be the twelfth Imam – and this claim was made in Tabriz in the presence of the then Shah of Iran and the Muslim clergy present in the court. While the entire incident has been dealt separately, it is sufficient to say that the Bab was pronounced insane at that examination.
I wish to ask the Baha’is – why do they ignore the thousands of traditions [13] which have been reported about the 12th Imam from all aspects – his genealogy, the conditions prior to his birth, his hidden birth, his occultation, the fact that he would have an extraordinarily long life, those who met him as a child as well as those traditions which report the events after his reappearance? Why are all these traditions ignored in favor of some obscure statements by poets or historians whose credibility is under question?
No other sect of Islam or for that matter, no other religion has such a rich culture of traditions reported directly from the founder of the Faith – the Holy Prophet of Islam (saw). In addition, there are traditions from the Imams as well which run into tens of thousands. There is perhaps no verse of the Quran on which we do not have an explanation by either the Holy Prophet (saw), or from his authorized successors, the Twelve Imams (as).
The traditions about the Twelfth Imam (as) are not in isolation. Why is it that the Baha’is insist on the Bab being the Twelfth Imam, when he did not meet a single prophecy reported in traditions? Where is the long life, the fact that the Twelfth Imam (as) is an Arab, the son of Imam Hasan Askari (as) – one can go on about each prophecy and I challenge the Baha’is – open the books of traditions and check the Bab – he will fail on all accounts. Truly, It pains my heart to see the Baha’is ignore all these traditions.
To conclude, here are some points for my readers to consider:
۱- Bab accepted that there was a son born to Imam Hasan Askari (as)
۲- The name of that son was Mohammed Ibnil Hasan (as)
۳- Bab calls Mohammed Ibnil Hasan (as) with the titles of the twelfth Imam, namely, Sahib al Amr, Baqiyatullah, Mahdi, Al Hujjat, Al Qaem, Sahebaz Zaman.
۴- Why don’t the Baha’is clarify that who is Mohammed Ibnil Hasan? Why are there only vague responses to this question?
۵- If Bab was a forerunner of the Baha’i Faith and if he acknowledges Mohammed Ibnil Hasan as his spiritual leader, shouldn’t the Baha’is follow suit?
۶- Bab, invokes the curse of Allah who attribute the position of Mahdi to him – either in spirit or in person in Tafseere’ Surah Kauthar.
Lastly, who should we believe – The Baha’is who say that Bab was the twelfth Imam or Bab who unequivocally, clearly and without any ambiguity asserts that he was not the twelfth Imam?
Was the Bab an Independent Prophet?
“Baha’is believe that the Bab (1819-1850) was an independent Messenger of God”
(Ref: Official Bahai version on the position of the Bab)
Prophethood and Messengership are the positions which the Baha’is have attributed to the Bab without really evaluating whether he met even the most basic criteria to be considered a prophet or messenger.
- At the outset, when did Allah ever inform His creations that He would be sending another prophet after the Holy Prophet of Islam. On the contrary, we see only traditions and verses from the Quran which claim otherwise. Have the Baha’is ever considered that not even a single scholar in 1,200 years predicted the appearance of a new prophet after the Holy Prophet of Islam. All Muslim scholars are unanimous in their judgment that the Holy Prophet was the last prophet and messenger. In fact, the single most unifying factor amongst all sects in Islam is their credo, “There is no God but Allah. Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah.” Not a single sect differs on this creed. All sects agree that the one who does not accept the finality of the prophet is an apostate as per Islam.-
- The Bab never claimed that he was a prophet or that another prophet would come after him. Consider the following statement from Qayyamul Asma – the “first revelation” of the Bab.
And whomsoever disbelieves in Islam shall not have his deeds accepted by God on the Day of Resurrection; not the least thing, as befits the Truth, shall in any way be accepted.
(Ref: Qayyamul Asma, Surah Mulk, verse 13)
For more on the Finality of Prophethood in Islam, please read the section [14] on this web site. Apart from literary and traditional proofs which are covered in the section, here are some more points for my readers so that they can objectively judge whether the Bab was a divinely inspired prophet or not.
- All prophets made it clear that theirs was not the last religion, and that they would be followed by another prophet, save Mohammed (saw). Can the Baha’is or for that matter Bab’is bring a single verse from Quran tradition from the Holy Prophet that says otherwise?
- Bab did not demonstrate any signs of being a prophet. He was unable to produce a miracle, was taught by worldly teachers (however small the length of the time spent by teachers); was influenced by their teachings and his writings were full of grammatical mistakes. In addition, all Muslim sects believe that the divinely-sent prophets were superior in all aspects whether divine or worldly in nature. Hence Mohammed (saw), for whom it is popular that he was unlettered brought answers to scientific issues in the Quran and the traditions.
- Pay attention to the trial of the Bab at Tabriz [15]. Here was an opportunity for the Bab to prove to the world, once and for all that he was a prophet. But the trial is pathetic. The Bab claims ignorance in language, mathematics, astronomy, rather everything. The words used by him to questions on the subject are “I have not learnt these” or “I have forgotten”.
May I remind the Baha’is of Moses who went through a similar examination at the court of Pharaoh and see how a true prophet of God shines in the times of crisis. Moses left that audience with his head high – to the extent that even if a non-believer in Moses reads the incident, he cannot help, but acknowledge that Moses won the battle with Pharaoh on that day. But not the Bab. He comes out as a pathetic claimant with no proof to back his claims. He claimed that his “miracle” was that he could reveal a volume of verses in a short span!
I request my readers to look at this “miracle” objectively. Is this really a miracle, which cannot be enumerated by any other person? The basic definition of a miracle is that it is an extraordinary act performed by a prophet, to support his claims and one which cannot be enumerated by any person till the end of time, except by another prophet. So if Christ could bring people to life, Mohammed (saw) did the same. Moses, made his staff come to life, Mohammed made stones and trees acknowledge his Prophethood. But the Bab did nothing of the sort. In the trial at Tabriz, the Bab was requested to simply bring his staff to life to prove his claim. But he was unable to so.
This is probably the primary reason why the Baha’is do not believe that miracles are necessary to prove the claim of a prophet – because neither did the Bab nor Bahaullah nor Abdul Baha not Shoghi have any material miracles against their name.
- The laws of Bab were incomplete at the time of his death – again a unique element if you consider him a prophet simply because there is no precedent to this. All religions whether to be abrogated (Christianity for example) or not (Islam for example) were completed and the law implemented at the time of the death of the prophets. But not Bab. He prophesized that the would write 19 volumes of the Bayan. Where are these volumes?
- The Bab recanted his beliefs [16]. Not once, but multiple times in his lifetime. Here too, the Bab has set a new standard – no prophet in known history, whatever be the level of suffering, however difficult be the path of God, has ever recanted his beliefs. For more details, one can refer to my article on the “Recantation of The Bab.”
- The tenure of the Bab was simply too short for making any impact on the world. As per the Baha’is, the Bab abrogated the religion of the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh). A local religion of 9 years abrogating a global religion of more than 1,200 years (at the time of the Bab)?
- The multiple claims that Bab made [17] during his lifetime are simply too confusing for an average person to accept – all divinely inspired prophets were clear and straightforward in their claims. Here we have the Bab who began by claiming to be the gate to the Hidden Imam, then the Imam and finally God. And the Bahais have added their two bits to this by claiming that he was a prophet as well?
- The Bab practiced Taqaiyyah [18] (dissimulation, concealing one’s Faith). At the cost of repeating myself, the Bab has set a precedent in this aspect as well. No other divinely sent prophet or messenger ever practiced Taqaiyyah. Yes, for the sake of safety of their followers, prophets may have encouraged adherents to their religions to practice Taqaiyyah. However Taqaiyyah was not permitted to prophets and messengers who are sent by God to spread his word and not to conceal it or twist it. If prophets begin practicing Taqaiyyah, where does it leave common believers? How can one judge what actions / statements of the prophet were reality and what were in the state of Taqaiyyah?
- Lastly, pay attention to the following words of the Bab in his book Tafseere’ Surah Kauthar –
- “Those who say that “Remember the name of Thy Lord” means that he himself (i.e., Sayyed ‘Ali Muhammad) has actually claimed to have received revelation and the Quran, have indeed become disbelievers. Moreover those who say that the verse means that he has claimed to be the bab of the Remnant of God (the twelfth Imam), have also become disbelievers. O God, you are my witness that (I declare) any one who claims to be divine or to possess the wilayat or who has received the Qur’an and the revelation, or who has omitted or altered anything in Your religion, has become an unbeliever. I certainly seek to disassociate from such people. You are my witness that I have not claimed to be the Bab.”
To conclude:
- There is no provision in Islam for another prophet or messenger to follow the Holy prophet of Islam (saw) – neither in this age nor ever in future.
- Bab did not claim to be a prophet – The Baha’is have attributed this to him.
- Bab did not possess a single characteristic which can be used as the basis for declaring him a prophet – his revelation was incomplete; his he did not demonstrate any miracles and worse, he recanted his claims at multiple times in his lifetime.
- The Bab practiced Taqaiyyah – this very aspect automatically disqualifies him from being a true prophet of Allah.