Baha'u'llah on the Bab as Mahdi and Armin Eschraghi's paper in "Unity in Diversity"

[danieldemol]

Please note this is in the Baha'i DIR

In his paper in the book Unity in Diversity ISBN: 978-90-04-26280-5, Armin Eschraghi starts off correctly concluding that;

The allegorical interpretation of all things pertaining to the Mahdī,
already introduced by the Bāb and now further elaborated by Bahāʾ Allāh,
made it possible to bridge the obvious gap between Shīʿī expectancy on
one hand and Bābi doctrine on the other. The Bāb was the “true Mahdī,”
as opposed to the one based on false perceptions and misunderstandings
by Shīʿī theologians.1

However by page 129 Eschraghi seems to have in my opinion misunderstood Baha’u’llah for Eschraghi says;

The Bab's very claim to be the Mahdi was transformed into a messianic secret [...] an expression of wisdom (hikma) or, to use a Shi'i term, dissimulation (taqiyya). The Bab's true identity was not that of the "Mahdi"; on the contrary, such a claim was interpreted by Baha' Allah as a mere concession to tradition and to the norms of the Bab's immediate environment. [...] The Mahdi was no longer the highest authority, the pivot of the universe around which all religious and political discourse was centered, but rather a relic from former times; and the use of his title was merely a pragmatic (or didactic) and above all temporary step to prepare people for the true message.2

So where did Eschraghi go wrong?

On page 128 Eschraghi relates a letter from Golpaygani to Baha’u’llah expressing his puzzlement as to why in His early writings the Bab would so strongly revile Shalmaghani and testify to the truth of the four emissaries entirely in accordance with Shia tradition.

Bahāʾ Allāh replied that the Bāb in the first years had to exercise great restraint in expressing his true claim because of the fact that his address-ees were so deeply rooted in tradition. The Bāb had only spoken such words “that the veils of vain imaginings may be torn apart.” In other words, he spoke outwardly in a manner familiar to his contemporaries, so they might more easily relate to his ideas. In the beginning of the Bāb’s mission people had not yet been ready to hear his message, and he was obliged to utter words in accordance with their limited perception. This approach, Bahāʾ Allāh pointed out on a different occasion, even involved the Bāb’s lowering his own claim to that of “Gatehood” (bābiyyat), albeit “that station, the one above it, and the one even above, have all been cre-ated by a mere movement of his finger.”3

The problem is that in context of Golpaygani’s letter, Baha’u’llah was claiming such words as regarding the “truth of the four emissaries” and the reviling of Shalmaghani was the Bab speaking words giving an outward nod to traditional belief, not the claim to be Mahdi itself as Eschraghi has read into it.

Furthermore to interpret the Bab’s claim to be Mahdi as an outward nod to tradition as Eschraghi does doesn’t make sense because traditionally the Mahdi was believed to be the son of the eleventh Imam, not the Bab, and the Bab’s claim to be Mahdi increased the hostility of the divines, it did not in any way placate them or nod to their traditional beliefs.

Finally Shoghi Effendi provides further clarification of the Bab’s identity according to the Baha’i faith as Shoghi Effendi identifies the Bab as Mahdi in “God Passes By” when He states concerning the Bab, ‘He the "Qá'im" (He Who ariseth) promised to the Shí'ahs, the "Mihdi" (One Who is guided) awaited by the Sunnis, the "Return of John the Baptist" expected by the Christians, the "Ushidar-Mah" referred to in the Zoroastrian scriptures, the "Return of Elijah" anticipated by the Jews, Whose Revelation was to show forth "the signs and tokens of all the Prophets", Who was to "manifest the perfection of Moses, the radiance of Jesus and the patience of Job" had appeared, proclaimed His Cause, been mercilessly persecuted and died gloriously.’4

1 Unity in Diversity p123
2,3 Unity in Diversity p129
4 (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 57) Note that Shoghi Effendi spelled Mahdi as Mihdi

 

[InvestigateTruth]

Please note this is in the Baha'i DIR

In his paper in the book Unity in Diversity ISBN: 978-90-04-26280-5, Armin Eschraghi starts off correctly concluding that;



However by page 129 Eschraghi seems to have in my opinion misunderstood Baha’u’llah for Eschraghi says;



So where did Eschraghi go wrong?

On page 128 Eschraghi relates a letter from Golpaygani to Baha’u’llah expressing his puzzlement as to why in His early writings the Bab would so strongly revile Shalmaghani and testify to the truth of the four emissaries entirely in accordance with Shia tradition.


The problem is that in context of Golpaygani’s letter, Baha’u’llah was claiming such words as regarding the “truth of the four emissaries” and the reviling of Shalmaghani was the Bab speaking words giving an outward nod to traditional belief, not the claim to be Mahdi itself as Eschraghi has read into it.

Furthermore to interpret the Bab’s claim to be Mahdi as an outward nod to tradition as Eschraghi does doesn’t make sense because traditionally the Mahdi was believed to be the son of the eleventh Imam, not the Bab, and the Bab’s claim to be Mahdi increased the hostility of the divines, it did not in any way placate them or nod to their traditional beliefs.

Finally Shoghi Effendi provides further clarification of the Bab’s identity according to the Baha’i faith as Shoghi Effendi identifies the Bab as Mahdi in “God Passes By” when He states concerning the Bab, ‘He the "Qá'im" (He Who ariseth) promised to the Shí'ahs, the "Mihdi" (One Who is guided) awaited by the Sunnis, the "Return of John the Baptist" expected by the Christians, the "Ushidar-Mah" referred to in the Zoroastrian scriptures, the "Return of Elijah" anticipated by the Jews, Whose Revelation was to show forth "the signs and tokens of all the Prophets", Who was to "manifest the perfection of Moses, the radiance of Jesus and the patience of Job" had appeared, proclaimed His Cause, been mercilessly persecuted and died gloriously.’4

1 Unity in Diversity p123
2,3 Unity in Diversity p129
4 (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 57) Note that Shoghi Effendi spelled Mahdi as Mihdi

The Bab in the beginning of His mission, did not announce to the Persians that He is the Mahdi. But He outwardly presented Himself as the gate to the Imam, while He outwardly confirmed the four deputy of the 12th Imam. By this way, He was reviving the expectations and importance of Mahdi and thus He made people more ready to hear and accept Him later as the Mahdi. After He announced that He is the Mahdi Himself, as the next gradually fulfilment, He eventually declared His full station as the Manifestation of God.