At the outset, the Bahais must provide at least one verse or
tradition from any source which substantiated the allegation that
Imam Mahdi (as) will act contrary to the verses of the Quran. This
is necessary for the Bahais to add weight to their baseless
allegation against Imam Mahdi (as).
The Bahais will be unable to provide any verse or
tradition in this regard, for the first verse was revealed for a
specific event and the second was abrogated for a subsequent verse
regarding the covenant of the Holy Prophet (saw) from the
disbelievers and polytheists. (Ref: Tafseere' Safi for each of the
quoted verses)
Have the Bahais referred to the verse, "It is He
who sent His apostle with guidance and the religion of truth so that
He may cause it to prevail over all religions even if the
polytheists be averse to it. (Holy Quran, Chapter of Taubah, verse
33)"
There are Shiah traditions from the Holy Imams (as)
which indicate that the government of Imam Mahdi (as) will overcome
all other governments and Allah will create an environment for this
action overnight. His government will rule over the entire world -
truth will conquer falsehood, oppressors will be punished and
revenge sought for their oppressions, the People of the Book will be
offered a truce as a result of which all mankind will enter the
sphere of truth (Islam). Do the Bahais consider this to be the
effect of the sword?
Here are some traditions to substantiate the above
Shiah beliefs:
Imam Mohammed Baqir (as) says, "The Qaem will be
from Allah. Allah will establish Tahiyyul Arz (a condition wherein
he will be able to traverse distances quickly) for him; the earth
will reveal its treasures. His rule will encompass the East and the
West and through him Allah will cause His religion to prevail over
the earth even if the polytheists oppose it. It will be an era of
prosperity for all."
(Ref: Behar, volume 13, page 155)
The Holy Prophet of Islam (saw) said, "Imam Mahdi
(as), like Zulqarnayn will reach the East and West. Allah will cause
the earth to reveal its treasures for him and will grant him
authority through awe. He will fill the earth with justice and
equality"
(Ref: Behar, volume 13, page 187)
Explaining the verse, "It is He who sent?averse to
it", Imam Sadiq (as) says, "By Allah, this verse cannot be
interpreted till the Qaem, the Mahdi rises. So when the Qaem will
arise, the polytheists or atheists who will be averse to his
reappearance will not find any refuge."
(Ref: Behar, volume
13, page 193)
The Holy Prophet (saw) said, "Allah will grant
victory to the Mahdi in the East and the West."
(Ref: Behar,
volume 13, page 300)
Imam Mohammed Baqir (as) prophesized, "When the
Qaem arises, the Syrians will seek out the people of Bani Umayyah
and seek refuge in Rome. The Romans will offer refuge to them on the
conditions of accepting Christianity. The companions of Imam Mahdi
(as) will arrive there with a proposal for truce. The Syrians will
decline the proposal claiming that they will not accept peace till
such time that their comrades are returned to them. Consequently the
Romans will hand over the Syrians to the companions of Imam Mahdi
(as)"
(Ref: Behar, volume 13, page 300)
Imam Sadiq (as) said, "When the Qaem arises, every
Naji (a group of people) will be offered the opportunity to accept
his government. He will have the option to accept it or to pay the
Jiziya (tax)."
(Ref: Behar, volume 13, page 199)
A person asked Imam Sadiq (as) about the condition
of the Zimmi (a group of people) in the event of the reappearance of
the Mahdi. The Imam (as) replied, "The Qaem will offer them peace
just as the Holy Prophet (saw) did and will seek the Jiziya from
them. As regards the Naji, the Imam (as) said, those who oppose us
will not have any share in our government. Their blood is forbidden
to us today from the time of the Holy Prophet (saw). However when
the Qaem arises, Allah will make their blood permissible for us."
(Ref: Behar, volume 13, page 199)
Without prejudice, my readers should judge whether
our traditions indicate that Imam Mahdi (as) will act only through
bloodshed and violence or will he offer truce as the first option to
all. Will he spread Islam only through the sword or also through the
medium of peace as the first option? Yes, those who are stubborn and
do not accept the reasoning and arguments of the Imam will be dealt
with severely and rightfully punished.
In the above traditions (and there are many like
these), it is repeatedly emphasized that Allah will create an
environment wherein Imam Mahdi (as) will lead the world and not that
he will be led by the world or made to bow down or cowed down by it.
Now the Bahais should judge whether the Bab (who is the Mahdi for
the Bahais) overcame Iran or did Iran overcome the Bab. And if the
Bab could not leave his stamp of authority on Iran then where is the
question that his rule will overcome the world. At the time of
writing this article more than 150 years have passed and there are
more followers of the actual 12th Imam, Mohammed Ibne Hasan Askari
than all the Bahais combined!
In addition, traditions indicate that the rule of
the Mahdi will be based on the Quran and the traditions of the Holy
Prophet (saw) and the Imams (as). He will not be under any pressure
to adopt Taqaiyyah (dissimulation) like his forefathers. There are
many traditions which underline this belief. A few of these are
given below:
Imam Mohammed Baqir (as) clarifies in a lengthy
tradition, "Imam Mahdi (as) will claim that he is the successor of
all the prophets. Who can match me in debate with respect to the
Quran (The book of Allah) and the Sunnat (traditions) of the Holy
Prophet (saw)? I enjoy precedence over others in both these
aspects."
(Ref: Behar, volume 13, page 167-191)
Imam Mohammed Baqir (as) says, "The Qaem will seek
allegiance from the people on the basis of the Quran and the Sunnat
(traditions) of the Holy Prophet (saw)."
(Ref: Behar, volume
13, page 183)
Imam Sadiq (as) mentions in a tradition, "The Qaem
will ascend to the pulpit in Mecca and promise the people that he
will deal with them on the basis of the Quran and the Sunnat of the
prophet."
(Ref: Behar, volume 13, page 190)
Imam Mohammed Baqir (as) says, "The Qaem will
invite Sufiyani to Islam on the basis of the Quran and the Sunnat.
At first he will accept. Thereafter he will deny Islam and turn away
from it"
(Ref: Behar, volume 13, page 192)
In another tradition, Imam Mohammed Baqir (as)
says, "The Qaem will act as per the traditions of the prophet and
show all the signs of the previous prophets. During this time, for a
period of eight days, the sword will not be used."
(Ref:
Behar, volume 13, page 193)
All the above traditions (and once again, I repeat,
there are many like these) indicate that the Qaem is yet to come and
when he reappears, he will judge the people on the basis of the
Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet of Islam (saw). Where
does the Bab fit into this? The Bab does not meet any element in any
of the above traditions. The Bahais should be afraid - their Qaem
(The Bab as they claim) has come and gone and yet there seems to be
no sign that the religion of the Bab will overcome the world. Surely
the promise of Allah made in the verse of Surah Taubah cannot be
false.
Conclusion
The Bahais have a very irritating habit of presenting verses in
Arabic and misinterpreting them. They also bring forth "traditions"
without any references from any book and by hook or by crook
(largely by crook) try to establish the Mirza Ali Mohammed Bab was
the Mahdi for this generation and that Mirza Hussain Ali Noori is
the new prophet after him. They take advantage of the fact that the
masses are not aware of Arabic and generally are not too conversant
with books of traditions (most of which are in Arabic).
Secondly, they also misinterpret the Quran as they
see fit (most of them in fact just read the apparent meaning in
English or any other translation) without referring to the
circumstances under which the verse was revealed or what is the
comment of the Holy Prophet (saw) or the Imams (as) about its
interpretations. The result: They not just end confusing themselves,
but also become the cause for misguiding others.
The Quran and traditions very clearly cannot be
interpreted in isolation. Or else there is a possibility that one
may be misguided. The history of Islam went through extreme
circumstances and the Imams were often forced to resort to Taqaiyyah
(protecting one's faith in difficult circumstances) to communicate
their messages to their followers. One needs to be aware of such
facets of history or refer to a scholar before interpreting any
verse or tradition.
I strongly recommend my readers that they
familiarize themselves with Arabic and even teach it to their
children. We must all become conversant with the Quran and
traditions and seek the help of Allah, His prophet and the Imams
(as) so that we may be able to understand the words and the spirit
of the traditions and are able to accept them.
Do not ever be misled or overawed by any person who
speaks Arabic - especially the Bahais. They have a habit of quoting
any Arabic sentence and then claiming it to be part of Quran. Also
do not accept their interpretation till such time it is confirmed by
a tradition from the prophet (saw) or the Imams from a reliable
book. Also seek the reference for any verse / tradition quoted.
It is irritating nuances like these due to which
the people of Iran openly and in some cases violently opposed the
Bab. Read the questioning of the Bab in the book Traveller's
Narrative. At one end, you have the Bab who has made this humongous
claim - and on the other hand you observe that he is unable to
answer any question logically to the satisfaction of his
interrogators.
Personally, my blood boils when I see the Bab as an
insane person claiming the honored position of the 12th Imam without
any credentials to back his claim. Even more so when I read that the
Bab actually claimed that he saw the wounded Imam Hussain (as) in
his dream in a condition that he (the Bab) drank the drops of blood of the venerated
Imam. Allah alone knows what punishment lies in store for the
person who is emboldened to even state that he drank the blood of
the son of the Holy Prophet (saw) of Islam. It is small wonder that
the common people of Iran saw the Bab as the one usurping the
position of Imam Mahdi (as) and vent their anger against the Babis.
