Babis: Azalis and Two Baha'i Groups
August 2006 version

Azalis and Baha'is are two similar religions that try to unify religion by accepting the teachings of Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Mohammed, and Jesus. They came from Islam, claim to follow Mohammed, but do not claim to be Muslim. First we will see some background on Islam, especially the Shi'ite branch, and then a brief sketch of Babism. We will look briefly at Azalis, and then concentrate more on Baha'is, their contradictions, and why they need to leave and come to know the real Jesus.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5111/mirza.html 11/13/2004 for more info.

Now Azal did not claim to be a manifestation, but the Baha'u'llah did.

The Ithna'Ashariyya Shi'ite Muslim View

The Shi'ites of Iran believe the 12th imam will return, but he is neither the Bab nor the Baha'u'llah.

The Mahdi will be descended from Fatima, and will be called Mohammed. While the Bab claimed to be descended from Mohammed, the Persian Baha'u'llah (to my knowledge) never did.

The Mahdi will raise the black standard in Khurasan (Baha'u'llah never did that).

He will come to Mecca, and then travel to Kufa. (The Baha'u'llah never went to Kufa)

The one-eyed Dajjil (anti-Christ) will come in the East

The sun will rise from the west, and a star in the east will give out as much light as the moon.

Like Mohammed, the Mahdi will have a new cause and a new book and a new religious law. This will be a severe test for Arabs. The sword will be between the Mahdi and the Arabs. (The Arabs did not persecute the Baha'u'llah; the Persians and Turks did.)

Jesus will return too. (Jesus is different from the Mahdi in Sh'ite theology.)

The 313 fighters from the battle at Badr also return. (This did not happen)

The imams and former prophets will also all return

The Sunni Muslim View of Baha'is

Sunnis believe the identity of the alleged 12th imam is a moot point, because there is no legitimate 12th imam. Mohammed was the seal of the prophets, and apart from the caliphs there is no legitimate imam, Shi'ite or otherwise, to succeed Mohammed.

Sunnis consider Baha'is as non-Muslim heretics. Baha'is fall under the following injunctions:

In the future beware of people who hold only to the Qur'an and reject the Sunnah. Abu Dawud vol.3:4587-4589 p.1293-1294

Every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an error. Abu Dawud vol.3:4590 p.1294

No innovation after the Sunnah is established. Abu Dawud vol.3:4595 p.1296

Sunni Muslims do in fact believe that Jesus will return. But they claim that Jesus will smash the crosses, abolish the jizya tax that nominally protected Jews and Christians, and personally slay the anti-Christ (dajjal). Before he died, the Baha'u'llah did none of these things.

The Christian View of Baha'is

While the Baha'ullah claimed to be Christ returned, Christians believe the Baha'u'llah is a partial fulfillment of Matthew 24:1,44.

"Jesus answered: 'Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. (10) At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people."

Acts 1:9-11 says "After he [Jesus] said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee, they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.'" (NIV)

Note: it says "this same Jesus" and "the same way".

The Jewish View of Baha'is

To orthodox Jews, this is all a moot point; the Baha'u'llah is not a successor to Mohammed because Mohammed was not from God. They think the Baha'u'llah was not Christ returned, since they believe Jesus was not the Messiah from God.

But when the Messiah comes, he will deliver Israel from her enemies. The Baha'u'llah did nothing of the sort.

Will the Real Prophet Please Stand Up?

If we have learned nothing else of significance, we can see that it is relatively easy for someone to claim to be a prophet of God, or a successor to someone else. Proving it is another matter.

Everyone can agree that many people who claimed to be from God here were counterfeits serving Satan, not the True God. So how can we tell which of them are really from God?

Life and Teaching

While the Baha'u'llah also suffered imprisonment, he died a natural death (from fever) and lived very wealthy toward the end of his life. Azalis claim he had his followers attack Azalis.

Mohammed also faced persecution, but he persecuted others far me. He died a natural death, but about a year after he ate some poisoned mutton given to him a woman whose husband was killed by Mohammed. The hadiths record that Mohammed ordered assassinations, torture, and surprise attacks against unsuspecting people. Mohammed asked forgiveness for his sins many times.

Jesus suffered and died as a martyr for his teaching. He was materially poor all of his life. Jesus did not persecute anyone. He said to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Even Muslims agree with the Bible that Jesus lived a sinless life.

Miracles

The Baha'u'llah did not perform any miracles of which I have seen records.

While the hadiths claim many miracles for Mohammed, including splitting the moon in two, the Qur'anic teaching is that Mohammed did not miracles, besides bringing forth the Qur'an.

Jesus performed many miracles, attested by people such as Matthew, John, and Peter. Jesus raised the dead, and He Himself was raised from the dead.

Prophecy About Him

Baha'u'llah claimed he was prophesied by Zoroastrians (Shah Bahram), the Bible (Christ returned) and Shi'ite Islam (12th imam returned). However, the Baha'u'llah did not convincingly overthrow the evil Ahiram in Zoroastrianism. In fact, the Baha'u'llah did not overthrow anyone. The Bab prophesied that the Mahdi would come in 1,000 years, and the Baha'u'llah proclaimed himself only 19 years after the Bab's death. As shown previously, the Baha'u'llah did not follow the Shi'ite prophecies about the Mahdi, the least of which is that the Mahdi and Christ are two different people who will both return. Acts 1 and Revelation 1 show that when Christ returns, it will be the same Christ, in the clouds, and every eye will see him. And even if he were claimed to be Quite frankly, most of the world has never heard of the Baha'u'llah. B

Muslims claim Mohammed was prophesied in the Bible in Deuteronomy 18:15-18, John 14:16-26; 15:26; 16:5-15, and other places. However, Deuteronomy 18:15-18 fits Jesus, not Mohammed, because the prophet would be "from among your own brothers", Jesus was Jewish, and Mohammed was not. The verses in John discuss the comforter, who "glorifies Jesus", and was "in the apostles of Jesus" (John 16:17). So why don't Muslims agree that they and Mohammed should glorify Jesus???

There are many prophecies about Christ in the Old Testament. Here are just a few of them.
From David. Jer 23:5; Lk 3:31; Mt 1:1; 9:27; Mk 10:47-48; Jn 7:42; Acts 13:22-23; Rev 22:16
Son of God. Ps 2:7 Mt 3:17; 16:16-17; 27:54; 9:7; Lk 9:35; Jn 1:34; Acts 13:33; Heb 5:5
Child called Mighty God, Prince of Peace, etc.. Isa 9:6. Messianic according to the Yemenite Midrash 349-350 and the Pereq Shalom p.101

When will the Messiah come?
The scepter will not depart. Gen 49:10; Lk 3:23,33 Messianic according to Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds, Targum Jonathan, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Targum Onkelos, Dead Sea Scroll Commentary, and the Aramaic Targum. Jews lost the right to execute people in 11 A.D. according to the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin chapter 4.
Before the Temple is destroyed (70 A.D.). Mal 3:1
Killed 32/33 A.D. Dan9:20-27+Neh 2:1-10 (445/4 B.C.) Messianic according to Maimonides in Igeret Teiman, Rabbi Moses Abraham Levi in The Messiah of the Targums, Talmuds and Rabbinical Writers

What will the Messiah do?
Ministry of miracles. Isa 35:5,6a; Mt 9:6-7,22,32-35; 11:4-6; 12:13; Jn 5:5-9; 9:6-11, etc.
Enter as a king on a donkey. Zech 9:9; Lk 19:35-37; Mt 21:5-9; Jn 12:15
Not abandoned to death. Ps 16:8-11; 30:3; Acts 2:31; 13:33; Mk 16:6; Mt 28:6; Lk 24:46
Spirit of the Lord will be on Him. Isa 11:2; Mt 3:16; Mk 1:10-11; Lk 4:15-21,32; Jn 1:32 Messianic according to Targum Isaiah and the Babylonian Talmud

Reactions of the People
Betrayed by a friend. Ps 41:9; Mt 10:4; 26:48-50; Mk 14:43-44; Lk 22:47-48; Jn 18:3,5
Rejected by His own people. Isa 53:3-4; Ps 69:8; Jn 1:11; 7:5; Mt 21:42-44
Gave Him gall for his drink. Ps 69:21; Mt 27:48
Killed with transgressors. Isa 53:12; Mt 27:38; Mk 15:27
Buried in a rich man's grave. Isa 53:9; Mt 27:57-60

Many Jews missed seeing the Messiah because they were looking for a political Savior, and did not distinguish between His first and second coming.

Prophecies He Made

The Baha'u'llah wrote a letter to Napoleon III warning him to stop being warlike. Napoleon III was later defeated by Germany. On the other hand, the 1923 edition of Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.278,288-289 says that both Baha'u'llah and 'Abu'l-Baha' predict the most great peace and promised unity of man will happen in the 20th century. This was removed in subsequent editions according to Beckwith p.37.

Mohammed in the hadiths prophesied that they would attack the Romans (Byzantines) and Persians, and fight people with flat faces (Turks).

Jesus prophesied that he would be killed, He would rise from the dead, that Jerusalem would be destroyed. The entire book of Revelation was prophecy by Jesus given to John.

Testimony and Life of Witnesses

The Baha'u'llah's followers were persecuted, and many killed in Iran for their beliefs. However, many Azali leaders mysteriously were assassinated, and who would want to assassinate Azali leaders, but not Baha'i leaders?

Mohammed's followers faithfully attacked many peoples to spread Islam and to get 4/5ths of the booty. After Mohammed died, many Arabs gave up being Muslims. Muslims fought them fiercely until they either came back to Islam or were killed. After the Muslims had conquered the Mideast and Persia, they had a Civil War between Mohammed's son-in-law 'Ali bin Abi Talib on one side, and Mohammed's wife 'Aisha and two generals, Talhah and al-Zubayr, on the other. At the Battle of the Camel, Talhah and al-Zubayr were killed by Muslims on the 'Ali's side. Talhah had saved Mohammed's life at the Battle of Uhud. Talhah and al-Zubayr were two of the only ten Muslims who were guaranteed they would make it to Paradise. After this, there was a bloody Civil War between 'Ali and Mu'awiyah culminating in the Battle of Siffin. After this, the Kharijite branch of Islam was nearly exterminated by both 'Ali and Mu'awiyah.

Jesus' early followers did not kill or persecute anybody. Of the eleven disciples, all but one were martyred for their faith: John died a natural death.

Conclusion

Many claimed to be from God, and some became very wealthy by doing so. However, Jesus had the miracles, prophecies about Him, and a sinless life to back it up. Christ's early followers spread the gospel peacefully, while Mohammed's followers attacked with the sword. Even though Baha'is do not spread their religion by the sword, they still claim to follow Mohammed, who did.

So forget the imposters and turn to the one God showed was from Him: Jesus Christ.

Both the Baha'u'llah and his predecessor the Bab tried to use a number of Bible verses to support their claim of being Christ returned. Here are some of the verses Baha'is use today, and answers to give Baha'is.

Q: Does Gen 1:26 mean that we should be educated to acquire divine perfections and the focus of divine blessings, as Bahai's teach in Some Answered Questions p.8,9?
A: No, because Genesis 1:27 says that God did what He said in Genesis 1:26. When Adam and Eve were created, they were perfectly sinless before the fall, and they did not need education. While we are still in the image of God, Genesis 1:26-28 refers to what God already accomplished.

Q: In Gen 3:5-22, does Adam symbolize the heavenly spirit, Eve symbolize the earthly soul, and the serpent symbolize attachment to the human world as Bahai's teach in Some Questions Answered p.123?
A: No. People have been trying to get spiritual meanings contrary to the plain meaning in Genesis for centuries. Adam is definitely a male human, and Eve a female human, and adding this unwarranted interpretation makes men higher "heavenly spirits" and women "earthly souls". Instead, men and women are of equal and the same value in the eyes of God (Galatians 3:28).

Q: Could Isa 9:1,6,7 refer to the Baha'u'llah of the Baha'is, since Jesus did not have the government on His shoulders (Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.261-262)?
A: No, the government will be on Jesus' shoulders when Jesus comes again. This cannot refer to the Baha'u'llah because:
a) The Baha'u'llah was not called Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6)
b) The Baha'u'llah did not do any shattering the yoke that burdens the people of Galilee as in the day of Midian's defeat. (Isaiah 9:4)
c) The Baha'u'llah did not do any governing either, and Baha'is do not claim the Baha'u'llah will come again.
d) While the Baha'is might wish to govern the world, their International House of Justice is an irrelevancy as far as politics and government in the 20th and 21st century are concerned.

Q: Could Isa 11:1-10 refer to the Baha'u'llah of the Baha'is, because part of that has not been fulfilled yet? For example, slaying the wicked, lion and ox lying down together, etc. (Some Answered Questions p.62-66 and Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.266-267)
A: No. While Christ fulfilled some in His first coming, some will be fulfilled in His second coming. The reason Baha'is are twisting this passage, and it does not refer to Baha'u'llah, is that
Jesus, not Baha'u'llah was descendant of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1,10)
Jesus, not Baha'u'llah "with his breath of his lips will slay the wicked" (Isaiah 11:4b). With the Baha'u'llah, the opposite occurred, many Baha'is were struck down, it was not Baha'u'llah doing the slaying.
The lion and ox, and other animals did not lie down together when the Baha'u'llah came either. (Isaiah 11:6-8)
The gospel of Jesus fulfills "the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD" (Isaiah 11:9). As of today, most of the people of the world have no idea who the Baha'u'llah claimed to be.

Q: Could Isa 35:1,2 refer to the Baha'u'llah of the Bahai's, because it refers to the parched land being glad, and Lebanon and Carmel, where the Baha'u'llah spent the last years of his life?
A: Jesus was in that area too, so the mention of those places in and of itself does not give preference to the Baha'u'llah over Jesus. Unlike the prophecy in Isaiah 35:1,2 few people in Lebanon or Israel "rejoiced greatly" over the Baha'u'llah being there. When the British took over the region after World War I, the Muslims pretty much continued to do their thing, the Druze stayed doing their thing, the Jews later entered Israel and there were fierce wars (not rejoicing) between the two, and I have not heard of a lot of rejoicing that area since the Baha'u'llah went there. This is not implying in any way that the Baha'u'llah caused all of the strife and suffering over there; rather as far as the rejoicing or suffering over in Mt. Carmel the Baha'u'llah was irrelevant.

Q: Could Isa 40:1-5a refer partly to John the Baptist and Christ, and partly to the Bab and Baha'u'llah, as Baha'is teach in Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.263-264?
A: No. Their explanation is interesting. They say this cannot refer only to John the Baptist and Christ, because the warfare of Jerusalem has not been completed "her hard service has been completed" Isa 40:2b. However, her warfare was not completed in the Baha'u'llah's time either. Without that, there is nothing in this that suggests the Bab and Baha'u'llah. Furthermore, where did the Bab ever say "Prepare the way of the Lord". He taught that he was the manifestation of God, and that another manifestation would not appear for another 1,000 years.
Baha'is say Baha'u'llah means "glory of God" in Arabic, and Isaiah 40:5 uses the phrase "glory of the LORD", but it says that all mankind will see it/him. Now Baha'is say this title refers to a person, not his laws or organization. But when the Baha'u'llah died, a very, very small percentage of the world's population had ever heard of him. Unless they are thinking of displaying his dead body to everyone, the whole world will not see whom they call "the glory of God."

Q: In Dan 8:13-17, could the 2,300 evenings and mornings be a prophecy the 2,300 years from the decree of Artaxerxes [allegedly 457 B.C.] to the manifestation of the Bab in 1844 A.D. as Baha'is claim? (Some Answered Questions p.40-42)
A: No, there are four problems with this.
Wrong type of years: 1844 (A.D.) + 457 (B.C.) -1 (no 0 A.D.) = 2300 (365.25 day years). However, prophetic years in the Bible are 360-day religious years, no 365.25 day years.
Wrong duration: 2,300 is evenings and mornings, and nothing in Daniel says "evenings and mornings" are years.
Wrong starting point: The decree was in the 20th year of the reign of Artaxerxes according to Nehemiah 2, so the starting point was 445/444 B.C., not 457 B.C.. 457 B.C was merely a decree from Artaxerxes confirming Cyrus' earlier decree that the Jews could return to Jerusalem.
Wrong ending point: If you look at the rest of the words, not just the numbers, 2,300 evenings and mornings is the time when the sanctuary was brought low until the sanctuary is reconsecrated. Baha'is would have to mean that God's sanctuary was trampled and brought low when this Persian named Artaxerxes became king; it remained low through the time of Jesus until the Bab.
Conclusion: The only things the Baha'u'llah got wrong were the duration, starting point, and ending point. In other words, everything!

Q: Could Dan 12:6 refer to the Bab as Baha'is claim, since he appeared 1,260 years from the Hejira of Mohammed? (Some Answered Questions p.43)
A: No. They claim this because 3 1/2 times or 3 1/2 lunar 360-day years is 360 * 3 1/2 = 1260 days. They say a day is a year, and the Bab appeared 1,260 lunar years from the Hejira of Mohammed.
First of all days does not mean years here. Second, the starting date they want to use is not what the Bible says. Besides doing unwarranted mathematical gymnastics to arrive at a number, you have to also read what the end point is in Daniel 12:1-4. At this time multitudes of people will be raised from sleeping in the dust, and Michael, who protects the Jewish people will arise. This certainly did not happen; especially since the Holocaust happened after this.
Basically Baha'is take nearly every Bible prophecy that proclaims future knowledge or deliverance, and begs the question by applying it to the Baha'u'llah. Then they can say, "See, this prophecy was fulfilled, therefore the Baha'u'llah is true."

Q: In Dan 12:11-12, does the 1,290 days refer to the Baha'ullah being 1,290 years after Mohammed announced his mission as Bahai's claim in Some Answered Questions p.43-44?
A: The Baha'u'llah made his claim 19 years after the Bab, so one would think they would say it was 1279 years. However, since that does not fit 1,290 years, they move the starting date back to approximately when Mohammed said he was a prophet.

Q: Do Joel 2:30-32 and Mt 24:29-30 refer to Moses, Christ, and Mohammed, their teachings originally being a sun, but they all being darkened by corruption later on? This is what Baha'is teach in Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.277-278.
A: No. Not only will Christ come in the literal clouds, as Acts 1:9-11 shows, but God Almighty can darken the sun and moon and He will do so. You do not have the luxury of just calling anything figurative that you want to not be true.

Q: In the Gospels, is the mention of the darkness and earthquake and torn veil when Christ was crucified only figurative and did not actually happen, because they were not recorded anywhere else, as Some Answered Questions p.37-38 states?
A: Five writers DID mention the darkness when Jesus was crucified.
Thales (also spelled Thallus), was a non-Christian Palestinian historian, who wrote in 52 A.D., less than 20 years after the crucifixion. He wrote that darkness accompanied the crucifixion of Jesus.
Phlegon was a Carian Greek writer who wrote soon after 137 A.D.. He wrote that in the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad [33 A.D.] there was "the greatest eclipse of the sun" and that "it became night in the sixth hour of the day [12:00 noon] so that star even appeared in the heavens. There was a great earthquake in Bithynia, and many things were overturned in Nicea." (quoted from The Case for Christ p.111.)
The Christian writer Tertullian, writing about 200 A.D., in On Fasting chapter 10, also mentions the darkness accompanying Jesus' crucifixion.
The early writer Origen (writing 230-254 A.D.) mentions the darkness over the land, and the tombs split open in Against Celsus book 2 chapter 33.
Arnobius (wrote 297-303 A.D.) in Against the Heathen 54 mentions darkness during Jesus' death.
Some might argue that other cultures should have written about this too. This is not true if the darkness was only local. Also, unusual darkness was not always recorded. For example, it is computed that a solar eclipse darkened Egypt on December 12, 504 B.C., yet there are no historical records, among the highly civilized Egyptians, or anyone else, about this. See www.informationblast.com/500s_BC.html for more info.

Q: In Mt 12:31-32, does blasphemy against the Holy Spirit mean detesting the light by denying God's manifestations (such as the Baha'u'llah) as Bahai's teach in Some Answered Questions p.127-128?
A: No, this is begging the question by assuming that since Baha'u'llah is the light, this verse proves that Baha'u'llah was the light. However, even for Jesus, notice that Matthew 12:31 he said that those who speak against Jesus will be forgiven, so speaking against a prophet of God is NOT blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

Q: In Mt 16:27, does this refer not to the end of the earth, but the supreme manifestation of the Baha'u'llah, as Baha'is teach in Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.268-269?
A: No, read the verse more carefully. It says the son of man will come in his Father's glory with his angels, and reward each person according to what he ahs done. Baha'u'llah did not have any angels anybody saw with him, and Baha'u'llah did not reward either the faithful Baha'is who were exiled or died, nor the Muslims who persecuted him.

Q: Mt 22:14 does the phrase "many are called, few are chosen" refer to variations and degrees of faith and assurance, as Baha'is teach in Some Questions Answered p.129-131?
A: No. If you read the entire parable in Matthew 22:1-14, it puts people in two categories: those who enter in to the wedding banquet and those who do not enter. Many are called but few are chosen refers to those invited to enter but who refused, and a man who wanted to enter in with improper clothes.
There is a lesson for everyone here. You cannot just read a single verse of the Bible, ignoring what is written before or after, and expect to correctly interpretation the meaning.

Q: In Mt 24:30 are clouds things that are contrary to the ways and desires of men as Baha'is teach in Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.280-281?
A: No. Not only will everyone see Jesus, when he returns in the clouds, and the peoples of the earth mourn because of him (Revelation 1:7), but the same Jesus will return in the clouds exactly the same way as He left according to Acts 1:9-11.

Q: In Jn 3:13 and Jn 6:38,42, does Christ coming down from heaven only a spiritual symbolic fact, not a material fact as Baha'is teach in Some Answered Questions p.103-105?
A: No. 'Abdu'l-Baha claims this because John 3:13f says, "...but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven," at the time that Jesus was on earth. (p.103).
First of all, this last phrase is a manuscript variation that is not present in the earliest manuscripts, though it is in the later Byzantine Lectionary. It is strange to base a doctrine on just one variant.
Second, Jesus' divine nature can still be considered in heaven as well as earth according to the New Geneva Study Bible p.1665.
Finally, and most importantly, even if you do accept the manuscript variation, within the same verse it says that Jesus came down from Heaven. It is trivial to show from the Bible that Jesus existed in Heaven prior to the incarnation, and that same Jesus "came down" is a material fact.

Q: In Jn 16:12-13 is the Spirit of Truth here the Baha'u'llah?
A: No, the Spirit of truth here is a spirit, not a person. It is the same Holy Spirit Jesus was just talking about in John 14-16. You cannot say in John 16:12-13 "spirit" refers to one person, and spirit refers to the Holy Spirit or something else in John 14:16-18,25-26; 15:26; 16:5-11; 16:14-15.

Q: Is 1 Cor 15:22 false because all of the prophets were sinless, as Baha'is teach in Some Questions Answered p.118-121?
A: 1 Corinthians 15:22 says that all descendents of Adam sinned, and that includes all the prophets except Jesus. It is a common Muslim misconception, which Baha'is have inherited that all of the prophets were sinless. Yet this leads to strange contradictions. Jonah (the godly prophet Yunus to Muslims) ran away to Tarshish and was swallowed by a great fish. Was there no sin in running away? Adam is considered a prophet by Muslims, yet if he did not sin in the Garden of Eden, doesn't your definition of sin become a meaningless phrase? Moses was forbidden to enter the Promised Land because of his losing his temper at Meribah. Since the Lord was angry with Moses in Deuteronomy 3:26, can the Lord be angry with someone who has never sinned?
There is a lesson for everyone here. Sometimes people's distorted preconceptions almost force them to twist the Bible to suite their preconceptions.

Q: In Rev 11, could the two witnesses be Mohammed and 'Ali as the Bahai's say? (Some Answered Questions p.43-61)
A: No for the following eleven reasons.
1. Rev 11:3 says they will prophesy for 1,260 days. Mohammed made very few prophecies, and 'Ali was never considered a prophet.
2. Rev 11:5 says that if anyone tries to harm them fire devours their enemies. Mohammed was poisoned (but barely survived), and 'Ali was assassinated by a Muslim. 'Ali's cause was defeated by Mu'awiyah, and his son Husain was slain. He did not devour his enemies, he was killed by them.
3. Rev 11:6 The two prophets can shut up the sky so that it will not rain. Mohammed never claimed to do that, and neither did 'Ali.
4. Rev 11:6 Mohammed and 'Ali did not turn waters into blood, as almost all of the people they beheaded, burned, or otherwise slew were not by rivers. If a Salafi Muslim argues that they made rivers of blood that does not count, because Rev 11:6 says they turned waters into blood.
5. Rev 11:7-8 Mohammed was not killed by violence, and in both cases their bodies were not put on humiliating public display.
6. Rev 11:8 their bodies were not put in the street of a great city. In fact, relatively few saw 'Ali die.
7. Rev 11:9 Everybody did not gaze at their dead bodies and refuse them burial. Mohammed in particular was buried rather promptly by followers.
8. Rev 11:10 Who sent out lots of gifts when Mohammed and 'Ali were killed?
9. Rev 11:11 There is a small sect of Muslims, called Muhammadiyya, that claims that Mohammed never died. The Saba'iyya are a small sect of Muslims that claim 'Ali never died. Except for these small groups, Muslims have no basis for saying either Mohammed or 'Ali were raised back to life.
10. Rev 11:12 Muslims never say Mohammed and 'Ali did not ascend to heaven in a cloud. (Though Muhammadiyya and Saba'iyya might disagree.)
11. Rev 11:13 There was not a severe earthquake when either Mohammed or 'Ali left the earth in a non-existent cloud.
The point is not whether you can allegorize away some of these reasons. The point is that if even one of these reasons cannot be allegorized away, then the prophecy does not refer to them.

Q: In Rev 11:2, can the mention of Jerusalem being trampled for 42 months mean the time between the Hejira of Mohammed and the revelation of the Bab in 1260 A.D. as Baha'is teach in Some Questions Answered p.46-47?
A: No. Abdu'l-Baha claims that since a day is [allegedly] always a year, that is 1,260 years. But consider this: if day here really meant day, how could God communicate this in a way that they would accept it? No, there is no reason to doubt that days means days here.
Furthermore, if the 42 months was the time when the Gentiles were trampling the holy city, then this interpretation would mean that Mohammed in Medina, and Mohammed later in Mecca was include din the time when the holy city was getting trampled.
Actually Rev 11:2 relates to the same subject as Daniel 12:6.

Q: Was Rev 11:12-13 fulfilled by an earthquake in Shiraz when the Bab was executed as Baha'is teach in Some Questions Answered p.55-56?
A: No. First of all, I have not seen any evidence of an earthquake in Shiraz at this time. Second, if Baha'is want to make Rev 11 refer to Mohammed and 'Ali, and then they switch the subject to the Bab in Revelation 11:12-13, they cannot have their cake and eat it too. Either The Bab was one of the two witnesses or he was not. If he was not, then it is stretching the Bible to take this verse in isolation and say it refers to the Bab.

Q: In Rev 11:14-15, is Mohammed the first woe, and the Bab the second woe, as Some Questions Answered p.56-57 says?
A: Baha'is can say Mohammed is the first woe if they want, but I do not think they would want to say that, if they read what the first woe really was. The first woe, the fifth trumpet, is described thoroughly in Revelation 9:1012. Hellish Locusts from the abyss sting the non-believers on the earth. They tortured them for 42 months. It will be so painful that the people will want to die, but death will elude them.
The sixth woe, the sixth trumpet, is when the four angels at the Euphrates river let loose 200,000,000 mounted troops to kill 1/3 of mankind. Do Baha'is really want to say the Bab loosed forces that killed 1/3 of mankind?

Q: Rev 12:1 is the woman the law of God under Mohammed, and the male child the new law of God under the Baha'u'llah as Bahai's teach in Some Questions Answered p.67-72?
A: No. Bahai's as well as Muslims do not accept the authority today of Christ in Revelation 12:10, because they think His words have been corrupted. They do not overcome the beast by the blood of the lamb in Revelation 12:11. If only they would understand the importance of the blood of the lamb!

Q: In Rev 12:3, was the enormous red dragon the evil Umayyad Dynasty (Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, Mu'awiyah, etc.) who had seven dominions: Rome around Damascus, Persian, Arabian, Egyptian, Africa, Spain, and Turks of Transoxania as Baha'is teach in Some Questions Answered p.69-70?
A: No. They say the ten heads were ten commanders: starting with Abu Sufyan, and ending with Marwan. They also admit there are more than ten people, but since there are two Mu'awiyah's, three Yazids, two Walid's, and two Marwan's, if you count the names without repetition, then it comes to ten!
In reality, the beast is Satan, because Revelation 12:10 calls the beast the accuser of our brethren. The beast is after Christ and Christians, because Rev 12:10 speaks of the authority of God's Christ. Note that the woman was taken care of by God for 1,260 days. Now how could she be taken care of if the Umayyads trampled the sanctuary for 1,260 days?

Q: In Rev 21:1-3 is the first heaven and earth signify the old law and the new heaven and earth the new law under the Baha'u'llah, and no sea means all will follow the Baha'u'llah, as Baha'is teach in Some Questions Answered p.67-68?
A: No. Revelation 21:2 says the New Jerusalem is as a bride for her husband (God). We Christians are metaphorically the bride of Christ, not some law. Revelation 21:4-5 says that God will wipe every tear form their eyes. There will not be any more death, mourning or crying or pain. This prophecy was not fulfilled during the lifetime of the Baha'u'llah. This will not be fulfilled until after the return of Christ.

Baha'u'llah : A Brief Introduction to His Life and Work. Baha'i International Community. 1991.

Barney, Laura Clifford (translator) 'Abdu'l-Baha Some Answered Questions. Baha'i Publishing Trust. 1981

Beckwith, Francis. Baha'i : Bethany House Publishers. 1985.

Browne, E.G. (translator) New History of the Bab

Browne, E.G. Babis of Persia II

Browne, Edward G. (translator) A Traveller's Narrative Written to Illustrate the Episode of the Bab, The University Press, 1918 p.175-243.

Douglas, J.D. New 20th-Century Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge 2nd edition. Baker Book House 1991.

Esslemont, J.E. Baha'u'llah and the New Era. Revised Edition. The Baha'i Publishing Committee1940.

http://bahai-library.com/books/new.era/...     ... is 1-12.html

List of References on Islam

www.Answering-Islam.org is a very extensive web site presenting and debating many aspects of Islam.

Hasan, Prof. Ahmad. Sunan Abu Dawud : English Translation with Explanatory Notes. Sh. Muhammad Ashraf Publishers, Booksellers & Exporters 1984 (three volumes)

>The Holy Qur-an : English translation of the meanings and Commentary. Translated by 'Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali. Revised and edited by The Presidency of Islamic Researches, IFTA, Call and Guidance. King Fahd Holy Qur-an Printing Complex. (no date)

Khan, Dr. Muhammad Muhsin (translator) The Translation of the Meanings of Sahih Al-Bukhari Arabic-English. Islamic University, Al-Medina Al-Munawwara AL MAKTABAT AL SALAFIAT AL MADINATO AL MONAWART. No date or copyright.

>Sahih Muslim by Imam Muslim. Rendered into English by 'Abdul Hamid Siddiqi. International Islamic Publishing House. (no date)

Bible verses are from the NIV.

Baha'u'llah and the New Era - Revised Edition by J.E. Esslemont. Baha'i Publishing Committee 1930, 1940

The Baha'u'llah would smoke the Narguileh (hubble-bubble pipe). Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.47

A minority under Mirza Yahya were violently opposed to Baha'u'llah. Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.40

Baha'u'llah died of fever in 5/29/1892 when he was 74 years old. Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.50

Baha'u'llah left a last will and testament naming Abd'ul Baha as his successor. Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.50-51

Baha'u'llah spoke as a man Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.54, but he also spoke "from the state of deity." Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.56

Baha'is use Sufi concepts of annihilation in God and abnegation. Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.54

Baha'u'llah claimed to be the Zoroastrian savior Shah Bahram, who overcomes the spirit Ahriman. Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.57-58

In the Epistle of the Wolf, Baha'u'llah said he never had the time or opportunity to read the writings of the Bab. Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.60

'Abdu'l-Baha ('Abbas Effendi) was born in Tihran/Tehran on 5/23/1844, the very same hour that the Bab declared his mission. Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.64

'Abdu'l-Baha committed to memory the tablets of the Bab. [This is strange, since his father the Baha'u'llah never read them.] Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.66

Sufis such as 'Ali Shawkat Pasha visited the Baha'u'llah. Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.66

When Abdu'l Baha succeeded the Baha'u'llah, some Baha'is contested and stirred up trouble with the Turkish government. Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.69

The Indian caste system was not right. Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.70

Abdu'l Baha promoted Esperanto too. Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.76

9/23/1918, British and Indian cavalry captured Haifa from the Turks. Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.80

Abdu'l Baha would go to the mosque. Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.82

Abdu'l Baha died 11/28/1921. Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.82

Mention of the Father. Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.269

Very brief quote, without explanation, of Mal 3,4. Baha'u'llah and the New Era p.283-284

'Abdu'l-Baha (Laura Clifford Barney translator) Some Answered Questions. Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1908,10390,1954,1981.

Bah'ai is "a new and independent world religion" Some Answered Questions p.ix

The fundamental principles proclaimed by the Baha'u'llah are that religious truth is not absolute but relative; that Divine Revelation is a continuous and progressive process; that all the great religions of the world are divine in origin; and that their missions represent successive stages in the spiritual evolution of human society." Some Answered Questions p.xii

No reincarnation. Some Answered Questions p.xii

More important, the book [Some Answered Questions] has assumed a significant place in the sacred literature of the Faith, being one of the very few compilations of 'Abdu'l-Baha's utterances authenticated by 'Abdu'l-Baha himself."

Mention of the telegraph. Some Answered Questions p.4

God has to possess all perfections in order to create. Some Answered Questions p.5

Non-sequiter. The imperfections of the contingent world are in themselves a proof of the perfections of God. (This was sort of an ontological argument.) Some Answered Questions p.5

"...man, if he is left without education, becomes bestial, ... whereas if he is educated he becomes an angel...." Some Answered Questions p.7

Misinterpretation of Genesis 1:26. Some Answered Questions p.8,9

The Bab was descended from Mohammed. Some Answered Questions p.13 and footnote 1 p.13

Mentioned of Joseph, Hagar, and Ishmael. Some Answered Questions p.13

Claim that Socrates visited Syria and took from the Israelites the teachings of the unity of God and immortality of the soul. Later the people of Greece accused him of impiety and had him executed by poison. Some Answered Questions p.14-15

Moses was a stammerer, who killed an Egyptian, and afterwards was raised to the rank of prophet. Some Answered Questions p.15

Alleged that in Jesus' time, the slightest deviation from Judaism exposed the offender to danger or to death. Some Answered Questions p.16

Christ abrogated the laws of Moses. Some Answered Questions p.16

Weird quote allegedly from Christ. Some Answered Questions p.17

Mohammed's military expeditions were always defensive. Some Answered Questions p.18

False in Pre-Islam: Arabs told their wives, if a daughter is born to you I will kill you. Some Answered Questions p.19

A man could take 1,000 women, and most men had more than ten wives. [The math here is interesting since they buried baby daughters.] Some Answered Questions p.19

"They were like a man holding in his hand a cup of poison, which, when about to drink, a friend breaks and thus saves him." Some Answered Questions p.21

False: Mohammed never fought against the Christians. Some Answered Questions p.21

Christians did not have to fight in Muslim armies, but in compensation for this, they had to pay a small sum of money. Some Answered Questions p.21

Mention of the false claim that Mohammed cleft/split the moon in two. Some Answered Questions p.22

Alleged that everyone said the earth was the center of the universe. Some Answered Questions p.23

Qur'an says the sun moves in a fixed place (Sura 36:37 and each star moves in its own heaven. (Sura 36:38). Some Answered Questions p.23

"Baha'u'llah appeared at a time when the Persian Empire was immersed in profound obscurantism and ignorance and lost in the blindest fanaticism." Some Answered Questions p.27

"Briefly, we will say that Persian had fallen so low that to all foreign travelers it was a matter of regret that this country, which in former times had been so glorious and highly civilized, had now become so decayed, ruined and upset, and that is population had lost its dignity." Some Answered Questions p.27

Baha'u'llah wrote a letter to Napoleon III, prophesying that his kingdom will be taken away and he will be destroy. Germany defeated Napoleon in 1870 A.D. Some Answered Questions p.32-33

Baha'u'llah was alleged by some as an enemy of the Shah, but he was not really an enemy of the Shah. Some Answered Questions p.33

Most prophecies alleged fulfilled in the Tablets to the Kings. Some Answered Questions p.33

Siyyid Davudi, a Sunni from Baghdad, wrote a short work on miracles of Baha'u'llah. Some Answered Questions p.34

Baha'u'llah never studied Arabic, but Arabic scholars said his eloquence and elegance in Arabic was unequaled. Some Answered Questions p.34

His enemies allegedly planned to crucify and destroy the Baha'u'llah. Some Answered Questions p.35

Mention of the darkness and earthquake and torn veil when Christ was crucified. However, these were not recorded anywhere else, or figurative and did not actually happen. Some Answered Questions p.37-38

Mention of Numbers 14:34 (one year of wandering for each of the 40 days they explored Canaan) is mentioned to justify that one day - one year in Daniel. Some Answered Questions p.40

Mention of 70 weeks in Daniel 9:29. Some Answered Questions p.40-43

Dan 12:6 referring to the Bab, since he appeared 1,260 days from the Hejira of Mohammed. Some Answered Questions p.42

Mention of the Baha'ullah 1,290 days (years) after Mohammed. Some Answered Questions p.43-44

Mention of the Father. Some Answered Questions p.43

In Rev 11, mention of Jerusalem being trampled for 42 months refers to the time between the Hejira of Mohammed and the revelation of the Bab in 1260 A.D. Some Questions Answered p.46-47

Mention of Rev 12. Some Questions Answered p.67-72

Things such as fasting, prayer, worship, marriage and divorce, abolition of slavery, indemnities for murder, theft, injuries, refers to material things and is altered in each prophetic cycle according to the times. Some Questions Answered p.48

Positive mention of the law and teachings of Mohammed, and the explanations and commentaries of 'Ali. Some Questions Answered p.50

Water turn to blood in Rev 11 means the prophethood of Mohammed and the power of 'Ali were like the prophethood of Moses and the power of Joshua. Some Questions Answered p.50

The beast who attacked the two prophets in Rev 11 is the [Muslim] Omayyad/Umayyad Dynasty who rose against the religion of Mohammed and the reality of 'Ali. [The Umayyads are the first caliphs or Abu Bakr, 'Umar, Mu'awiyah, Yezid, etc.] Some Questions Answered p.51

After the martyrdom of the Bab, there was an earthquake in Shiraz and many people were destroyed, and there were great plagues. This allegedly fulfilled Rev 11:12-13. Some Questions Answered p.55-56

In Rev 11:14-15, is Mohammed the first woe, and the Bab the second woe. Some Questions Answered p.56-57

In Moses' time there were 12 chiefs of tribes, in Christ's time there were 12 apostles, and in Mohammed's time there were 12 imams. 24 is the double of 12 for the Baha'u'llah. Some Questions Answered p.57-58

Mention of Isaiah 11. Some Questions Answered p.62-66

Christ called himself the Son of God. Some Questions Answered p.63

"The Muhammadans possess in the Qur'an, and in a large store of traditions, a much fuller record of the life and teachings of their Prophet, but Muhammad Himself, though inspired, was illiterate, as were most of His early followers. The methods employed for recording and spreading His teachings were in many respects unsatisfactory, and the authenticity of many of the traditions is very doubtful. As a result, differences of interpretation and conflicting opinions have cause divisions and dissensions in Islam, as in all previous religious communities."

http://bahai-library.com/books/new.era/8.html

Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha regard the descriptions of Heaven and Hell given in some of the older religious writings as symbolic, like the Biblical story of the Creation, and not as literally true. According to Them, Heaven is the state of perfection, and Hell that of imperfection; Heaven is harmony with God's will and with our fellows, and Hell is the want of such harmony; Heaven is the condition of spiritual life, and Hell that of spiritual death. A man may be either in Heaven or in Hell while still in the body. The joys of Heaven are spiritual joys; and the pains of Hell consist in the deprivation of these joys.

http://bahai-library.com/books/new.era/11.html

Universe has not beginning in time, but is a perpetual emanation from the Great First Cause.

The earth is billions of years old, and evolution is the way God created everything.

Do not believe creation in six days in Genesis. Do not believe Exodus and the ten plagues in Egypt were literally true.

http://bahai-library.com/books/new.era/12.html

Baha'i Quotes

Baha'u'llah taught that a prophet was the light bringer of the spiritual world

Persia, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries she had sunk to a condition of deplorable degradation

http://bahai-library.com/books/new.era/2.html

The Bahá'í Revelation is unprecedented and unique among the faiths of the world by reason of the fullness and completeness of its authentic records. The recorded words that can with certainty be attributed to Christ, to Moses, to Zoroaster, to Buddha, to Krishna, are very few, and leave many modern questions of great practical importance unanswered. Many of the teachings commonly attributed to these religious Founders are of doubtful authenticity, and some are evidently accretions of later date.

Baha'u'llah further arranged that an International House of Justice, representative of all Bahá'ís throughout the world, should be elected to take charge of the affairs of the Cause, control and coordinate all its activities, prevent divisions and schisms, elucidate obscure matters, and preserve the teachings from corruption and misrepresentation. The fact that this supreme administrative body can not only initiate legislation on all matters not defined in the Teachings, but also annul its own enactments when new conditions require different measures, enables the Faith to expand and adapt itself, like a living organism, to the needs and requirements of a changing society.

Moreover, Baha'u'llah expressly forbade interpretation of the teachings by anyone but the authorized interpreter. In His Will and Testament Abdu'l-Baha appointed Shoghi Effendi to be the Guardian of the Faith after Him and to be empowered to interpret the Writings.

"Christ, hungry and without shelter, ate herbs in the wilderness, and was unwilling to hurt the feelings of anyone. The Pope sits in a carriage covered with gold and passes his time in the utmost splendor, amidst such pleasures and luxuries, such riches and adoration, as kings have never had. Christ hurt no one, but some of the Popes killed innocent people: refer to history. How much blood the Popes have shed merely to retain temporal power! For mere differences of opinion they arrested, imprisoned and slew thousands of the servants of the world of humanity and learned men who had discovered the secrets of nature. To what a degree they opposed the truth!" Some Questions Answers p.136

"The Papal See has constantly opposed knowledge;" Some Questions Answered p.137

Baha'i Feasts and Fasts

Period of the Fast, nineteen days beginning March

Feast of Naw-Ruz (Baha'i, Zoroastrian, and Persian New Year), (March equinox around March 21)

Feast of Ridvan (Baha'u'llah's declaration), April 21-May 2

Declaration of the Bab, May 23

Ascension of Baha'u'llah, May 29

Martyrdom of the Bab, July 9

Birth of the Bab, October 20

Birth of Baha'u'llah, November 12

Day of the Covenant, November 26

Ascension of Abdu'l-Baha, November 28