The Baha'i Principles

Two Examples of Bahā’u’llāh’s Attitude Towards non-Baha’is

We will only show two samples here that clearly speak for themselves. Pay attention to the words and complements that Bahā’u’llāh uses to describe the poor soul called Ḥusayn in this quote:

Oh Ḥusayn, you came to visit Ḥusayn[1] but you are killing Ḥusayn[2] oh you unaware and doubtful [person]. We wanted to meet you in Baghdad and put it up to you to choose the meeting place so that we could show you clear arguments. You accepted but when the time came the winds started blowing and you ran away, oh you fly. We came to the house that was the meeting place and we did not find you there, oh you who associates others with the God who sends the winds. When you saw your own weakness you found an excuse for yourself, Oh you trickster. We did not want to meet you except to complete God’s proof upon you and those who are around you so that the fire of hatred would dwell in your chest and the chest of those who do not believe in the Lord of the Lords. You abstained from meeting me even though the inhabitants of paradise and the Heavens yearned for me. You will soon cry and wail but you will find no place to run to. Wait until God brings you a wrath from Himself and then the winds of torment will catch you and will return you to [hell] fire.[3]

Bahā’u’llāh calls this person a fly, a polytheist, and trickster. He claims this person will be tormented by God and returned to fire. He even claims that he had deliberately sought this meeting to fill the person’s chest with the “fire of hatred”! Is this how Baha’is are supposed to implement the Oneness of Humanity? By deliberately filling the chest of non-Baha’is with the fire of hatred? Where is all the love they were preaching?

`Abdu’l-Bahā narrates another incident:

When his holiness returned from Sulaymaniyah, he was strolling in the street one day with the late Āqā Mīrzā Muḥammad Qulī. A Kabob seller quietly said, “these Bābīs have appeared again!” The Blessed Beauty said to Mīrzā Muḥammad Qulī, “hit him in the mouth!” Mīrzā Muḥammad Qulī grabbed his beard and started hitting him in the head. [The man] went to the ambassador and complained. The ambassador imprisoned the man (instead of assisting him) and said, “without doubt, you must have greatly insulted the Bābīs that they hit you.”[4]

Even if we assume this poor, innocent individual who Bahā’u’llāh ordered to be beaten, was his enemy, such an action is still unjustified. For Bahā’u’llāh has said himself:

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.[5]

This story is in itself an indication that most of Bahā’u’llāh’s calls for peace and harmony with enemies and followers of other religions were not out of sympathy and love but were for protecting himself and his followers and out of fear of reprisals.

Even though the principles of Baha’ism were supposed to transform the world and cause the Oneness of Humanity, Baha’is themselves were not spared from the disease of division. Many sects separated from Baha’ism and practice their beliefs without any kind of unity or agreement with others. Some examples of such groups include: Orthodox Baha’is, Gay Baha’is, Unitarian Baha’is, and Reformer Baha’is. Some of these sects are actively preaching against one another.

It is interesting that `Abdu’l-Bahā describes the outcome of his father’s creed with attributes that have not been observed to-date:

Bahā’u’llāh appeared like the sunlight from the East, he erected the banner of the Oneness of Humanity, he caused such friendship between different tribes that if one entered their communities, they wouldn’t know which is a Christian, which is a Muslim, which is a Jew, which is a Zoroastrian.[6]

We consider Bahā’u’llāh to be the highest mentor of the human world. At a time that the darkness of division had overwhelmed the East and the nations of the East were in utter enmity and hatred, the religions were in utter avoidance with each other and thought of each other as impure and were always busy with war and quarrels, it was as this time that Bahā’u’llāh rose like the sun from the Eastern horizon. He invited all to kindness and socialization and commenced on advising and nurturing them, and guided [people] from all nations and faiths. He healed the different nations and faiths and made them reach utter unity and harmony, such that when you enter their communities you wouldn’t know which is an Israelite and which a Muslim.[7]

World War I showed the extent of the non-existent “utter unity and harmony” that `Abdu’l-Bahā claimed was the result of his father’s teachings.

Just as we repeatedly pointed out in this section, the founders of Baha’ism insist that on this earth, only Baha’is are worthy and those who don’t accept Baha’ism after it has been presented to them, are nothing but bastards and animals that lack reason. The contradictions that this belief has with the slogan of the Oneness of Humanity are so obvious that it leaves no place for explanation or justification. As we previously mentioned, it would have been better if the current teaching was called Noneness of Humanity instead of Oneness of Humanity.

We will conclude this section by repeating again what `Abdu’l-Bahā had uttered about this teaching and after that a few relevant quotes that Baha’is use to lure non-Baha’is into accepting their faith:

Bahā’u’llāh expressed the oneness of humankind, whereas in all religious teachings of the past the human world has been represented as divided into two parts: one known as the people of the Book of God, or the pure tree, and the other the people of infidelity and error, or the evil tree. The former were considered as belonging to the faithful, and the others to the hosts of the irreligious and infidel—one part of humanity the recipients of divine mercy, and the other the object of the wrath of their Creator. Bahā’u’llāh removed this by proclaiming the oneness of the world of humanity, and this principle is specialized in His teachings, for He has submerged all mankind in the sea of divine generosity.[8]

We must not make distinctions between individual members of the human family. We must not consider any soul as barren or deprived. Our duty lies in educating souls so that the Sun of the bestowals of God shall become resplendent in them, and this is possible through the power of the oneness of humanity. The more love is expressed among mankind and the stronger the power of unity, the greater will be this reflection and revelation, for the greatest bestowal of God is love. Love is the source of all the bestowals of God. Until love takes possession of the heart, no other divine bounty can be revealed in it.[9]

Be kind to the human world and be kind to all humans. Treat strangers like friends, and caress outsiders like companions. See enemies as friends and consider demons as angels. Deal with betrayers with utter kindness as you would with the loyal. Make bloodthirsty wolves smell the scent of musk like gazelles. Give traitors shelter and refuge and be the reason for peace of the heart and soul of the anxious.[10]

 

[1] Meaning Imam Ḥusayn.

[2] Meaning Bahā’u’llāh.

[3] Bahā’u’llāh, Āthār-i Qalam-i A`lā, vol. 1, no. 97, p. 339.

[4] Ḥabīb Mu’ayyad, Khāṭirāti Ḥabīb (n.p.: Mu’assisiyi Millī Maṭbū`āt Amrī, 118 B.), vol. 1, p.266.

[5] `Abdu’l-Bahā, Khaṭābāt (Egypt), vol. 1, p. 154.

[6] `Abdu’l-Bahā, Khaṭābāt (Tehran), vol. 2, p. 4–5.

[7] `Abdu’l-Bahā, Khaṭābāt (Tehran), vol. 2, p. 54.

[8] `Abdu’l-Bahā, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 454.

[9] `Abdu’l-Bahā, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 15.

[10] `Abdu’l-Bahā, Makātīb, vol. 3, p. 160.

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