Background to the Bayanic Faith
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The Twelfth Imam in Islamic faith, Muhammad son of Imam Askari, called by the Shi'a the Mahdi (the guided One), and the Qaim (He Who Arises), succeeded his father in the Imamate in the year (A.D. 813-814).
He at once disappeared from view and communicated with his followers through an intermediary known as a Gate (BÂB). Four of the Gates followed one another in order. The Fourth Gate appointed no successor, and on his death all communication between the Imam and his followers ceased. The Shi'as believe that the Imam still lives in some mysterious retreat, and will reappear in the fullness of time to establish a millennium throughout the world. The Imam is therefore called the absent Imam. |
According to the Doctrine of the Imamate of the Shias or the "Church of the Twelve" (مذهب اثنی عشری) the office of the Khalifa of the prophet is a spiritual one; an office conferred by god alone, first by his prophet and afterwards by those who succeeded him.Twelve persons successively held the office of Imam. The twelfth Imam was Muhammad, son of Imam Hasan Askari and Narjis Khatun, called by the Shia 'Imam Mahdi', 'Hujjatullah (The Proof of God), 'Qaim-i Al-i Muhammad' (He who shall arise of the family of Muhammad), 'Sahib-al-Zaman' (The Lord of the Age). He succeeded his father in the Imamate A.H. 260. The Shia hold that he did not die, but disappeared from view and communicated with his followers through a chosen few, who, one after another, acted as channels of communication between him and his followers.
These persons were known as 'Gates' (ابواب) and were four in number[1]. The last of the 'Gates' was Abul-Hasan-Ali who did not nominate a successor saying 'God hath a purpose which He will accomplish'. On his death all communication between the twelfth Imam and his Church ceased and the 'Major occultation' (Ghaybat-i Kubra) set in and will continue until the return of the absent Twelfth Imam. The Shia hold that he still lives in one of those mysterious cities, Jabulqa and Jubolsa. The Shia awaits the appearance of the Qaim or the absent Imam.
According to the Sheikhi school which was a precursor to the new manifestation (of Bayanic faith) basic principals of the Islamic faith were four:
(1) Unity of god,
(2) Belief in Prophethood,
(3) Belief in the Imamate, and
(4) The Fourth support namely that there must be amongst the Shia someone 'Perfect Shia' (شیعه کامل) to serve as a channel of grace' between the absent Twelfth Imam and his church.
Shaykh Ahmad was succeeded by Sayyid Kazim, who, on his death appointed no successor.
When, at the beginning of his mission in 1844, Sayyid Ali Muhammad declared himself to be the BÂB (Gate) this title was misconceived by Moslem and European historians of the BÂBi movement.
They took for granted that he was Gate in the traditional sense of the word, or a channel of grace in the Shaykhi meaning of the word and a successor to Sayyid Kazim.
When Qaim at a later stage of his mission, Sayyid Ali Muhammad declared to be the Qaim this title was again misconceived by Moslems and European Historians of the BÂBi movement. They took for granted that he was the Absent Imam himself.
According to him, god revealed Himself in the person of His Manifestation, Sayyid Ali Muhammad, Him-Who-Has-Appeared.
The title BÂB taken by Him at the beginning of his mission in 1844 meant that he was the gate of god. The Sun of Truth, Sayyid Ali Muhammad appeared under the name of Gateship in the manifestation of the Bayan.
The title Mahdi taken by him, meant that he was the Promised One foretold by Muhammad.
The title Qaim taken by Him meant that 'He was Him Who Prevails Over All Men' (قائم بر کل نفس) and whose arising is the resurrection.
The true nature of his claim, made known by him by implication and intimation in his First Book of 1844, and made crystal clear in the Bayan, is that Sayyid Ali Muhammad was the person of His manifestation, Him-Who-Has-Appeared.
The 18 disciples of the Primal Point did not look on him as the Imam . The Primal Point spoke of himself as the Qaim in the sense that he was the author of a new resurrection.
The Primal Point did not consider himself as an Imam but as a prophet. God reveals Himself in the person of His Manifestation, whom the Primal Point calls He-Who-Has-Appeared and He-Whom-God-Will-Make-Manifest (Persian Bayan Exordium, p.2). As regards their human personality these poems differ in different cycles, but that which speaks in them is the Primal Volition that undergoes no change (Persian Bayan vii, 10).
In his book entitled 'The Five Grades', page 11 the Primal Point describes the significance of his names:
"You named me after that which has a numerical value of five (i.e. BAB) since you had set four Gates for me; Then, after these years, you made me manifest over all things by the name Qaim and elevated the mention of your self in the year five with glory. In the sixth year, you mentioned the name of your self, your glorious and mighty name."
The Primal Point, has two stations: The station of divinity (مقام الوهیت) in the realm of Names and attributes, where the Point is the Mouthpiece of god and utters 'Verily, I am God; there is none other but Me; All beside me is my Creation' and the station of Creation (خلق), where the Point worships god as a creature.
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