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Wednesday Persian prophet The statements made in "Astounded by Bahaullah" are backed by fact and historical record. Although Bahais do not rely upon this kind of method to prove the validity of their faith, the following is an interesting example of Bahaullah divinely assisted vision. Any comparison of Bahaullah's life and teachings to any contemporary revolutionary "Islamic" religious leader is testament to the writer's lack of judgment. Over one hundred and fifty years ago Bahaullah made specific statements about the conditions of the world and society. In His day he was cast away and imprisoned. Only today with our ability to see the world in perspective as we witness, world events through TV, satellite or the internet can we begin to appreciate what this Persian Prophet had in mind when He addressed the peoples of the world. His proclamation to the nineteenth century kings and rulers of His day, clearly outline His purpose and mission. Writing from a prison cell, He as the Messenger and mouthpiece of God, addresses Napoleon III, Queen Victoria, King Kaiser Wilhelm, Czar of Russia, Emperor of Austria , Sultan of Turkey and Nasiri-Din Shah of Persia, inviting them to consider His claims and gather the doctors of religion and investigate the new message of God. In His address to Queen Victoria He praises her for abolishing slavery and giving people representation through parliament. She would be the only monarch to have responded with any dignity saying that if He (Bahaullah) is truly from God then is His message will prevail. Bahaullah praises her: 'O Queen in London!' He writes: 'Lay aside thy desire, and set then thine heart towards thy Lord, the Ancient of Days. We make mention of thee for the sake of God, and desire that thy name may be exalted through thy remembrance of God, the Creator of earth and heaven. He, verily, is witness unto that which I say. We have been informed that thou hast forbidden the trading in slaves, both men and women. This, verily, is what God hath enjoined in this wondrous Revelation. God hath, truly, destined a reward for thee, because of this. He, verily, will pay the doer of good his due recompense, wert thou to follow what Him Who has sent unto thee is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. As to him who turneth aside, and swelleth with pride, after that the clear tokens have come unto him, from the Revealer of signs, his work shall God bring to naught. He, in truth, hath power over all things. Man's actions are acceptable after his having recognized (the Manifestation). He that turneth aside from the True One is indeed the most veiled amongst His creatures. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Almighty, the Most Powerful.'* 'We have also heard that thou hast entrusted the reins of counsel into the hands of the representatives of the people. Thou, indeed, hast done well, for thereby the foundations of the edifice of thine affairs will be strengthened, and the hearts of all that are beneath thy shadow, whether high or low, will be tranquilized. It behoveth them, however, to be trustworthy among His servants, and to regard themselves as the representatives of all that dwell on earth. This is what counselleth them, in this Tablet, He Who is the Ruler, the All-Wise... Blessed is he that entereth the assembly for the sake of God, and judgeth between men with pure justice.He, indeed, is of the blissful....' In the case of Napoleon III who is reported to have thrown Bahaullah's letter aside, Bahaullah responds by clearly predicting Napoleon III's demise and sudden downfall, at a time when Napoleon was at the height of victory and power. To Napoleon III he writes: 'Ere long the world and all that thou possessesth will perish, and the kingdom will remain unto God, thy Lord and the Lord of thy fathers of old. It behoveth thee not to conduct thine affairs according to the dictates of thy desires. Fear the sighs of this Wronged One, and shield Him from the darts of such as act unjustly. For what thou hast done, thy kingdom shall be thrown into confusion, and thine empire shall pass from thine hands, as a punishment for that which thou hast wrought.' To Kaiser Wilhelm, the emperor of Germany, He refers him to what happened to Napoleon III. 'O King in Berlin!'*, He writes: 'Take heed lest pride debar thee from recognizing the Dayspring of Divine Revelation, lest earthly desires shut thee out, as by a veil, from the Lord of the Throne above and of the earth below. Thus counselleth thee the Pen of the Most High. He, verily, is the Most Gracious,the All-Bountiful. Do thou remember the one whose power transcended thy power (Napoleon III), and whose station excelled thy station. Where is he? Whither are gone the things he possessed? Take warning, and be not of them that are fast asleep. He it was who cast the Tablet of God behind him, when We made known unto him what the hosts of tyranny had caused Us to suffer. Wherefore, disgrace assailed him from all sides, and he went down to dust in great loss.Think deeply, O King, concerning him, and concerning them who, like unto thee, have conquered cities and ruled over men. The All-Merciful brought them down from their palaces to their graves. Be warned, be of them who reflect... O banks of the Rhine! We have seen you covered with gore, inasmuch as the swords of retribution were drawn against you; and you shall have another turn. And We hear the lamentations of Berlin, though she be today in conspicuous glory.' As it happened, all who ignored His message were met with an unexpected and tragic end, some lost their empires within a short time, if not their lives. Amongst them, Nasiridin Shah who was assassinated on the eve of his fiftieth anniversary as the King. Of all those addressed, only Queen Victoria lived on to become the longest reigning monarch in British history, she died in 1901 having ruled for sixty four years. Bahaullah's views and outlook for the new age of humanity are equally astounding. The events of the twentieth century and the globalization of human life in itself should be an eye-opening example of Bahaullah promise of the future. How can any fair-minded person call this belief in Bahaullah's prescription for a better world through personal transformation dogmatic, when Bahaullah's teachings speak so succinctly to the problems and state of the human condition. Bahais would be the first to reject any form of dogmatic belief or superstition. Religion without the use of scientific method leads to superstition, and Science without the wisdom of faith and religion leads to destruction. Bahaullah was the first Messenger of God to have written in His own pen as opposed to the past when scripture was a collection of documents written and gathered sometimes hundreds of years later. The writings of Bahaullah are authentic, over one hundred volumes and address every subject pertaining to the well-being and betterment of Mankind. They are a charter for the establishment of a new human civilization. One does not have to be believer to appreciate their significance, neither the need for a universal remedy to the problems of the world. The Bahai principles are logical and universally applicable and Mr. Babakan ["Centuries of nonsense"] has chosen to ignore them, either because of his unfamiliarity withy subject, his negligence and reluctance to seek the correct sources not to mention his inability to conduct a reasonable discussion based on informed opinion. The baseless comparison by Mr Babakan of the Bab and Bahaullah to those in Iran whose legacy is already known for their promotion of death and destruction is another indication of the narrow breadth and scope of his knowledgeof the subject. The quality of his source speaks volumes about his apparent opinion The material contained in Mr. Babakan's source (commonly known as Raddiyeh) is a collection of either distorted facts, baseless accusations, lacking one single piece of evidence; quite simply a pathetic attempt at discrediting the Bahai Faith. Had the Bahais in Iran been given the freedom and opportunity to respond to such weak attacks, had they been able to openly discuss and publish their history and teachings, Mr. Babakan would have had amore informed and balanced opinion of The Bahai faith and its mission; that isif he is really interested to digest them in the first place. Luckily the Bahai writings are available on the internet in both Persian and English; the interested reader is free and able to independently study them and reach amore balanced and informed opinion on such critical issues of our time.
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