“Bahaullah’s fundamental teachings are: that God is unbeknown except through His manifestation, the Prophet; that divine revelation is continuous and progressive, man’s spiritual and social evolution proceeding in cycles of approximately 1000 years; that while outwardly different as to human personality the manifestations are in essence one being and reveal one evolving truth.”

The teachings attributed to Baha are of the Point’s. They are explicitly in the Point’s writings. Baha appropriated the writings and ideas of the Point and passed them off as his own.

The Point’s Dalail-i Sab’a (the Seven Proofs) written by him during his imprisonment in Maku contains an excellent summary of these teachings. They are also contained in the Persian Bayan.
The Kitab-i Iqan (the Book of Assurance) written by Baha during the Baghdad period in support of the Point’s mission underline these teachings.
Summarised from the Point’s Dalail Sab’a by Prof. Browne, J.R.A.S, October 1899:
“The Unchanging and Unchangeable Essence of God has existed from Eternity of Eternities in unapproachable Glory and Purity. No one has known It as It should be known, and no one has praised It as It should be praised. It is above all Names and free from all likenesses or Similitude. All things are known by It, while It is more glorious than that It should be known through aught else. From it was produced Its Creation, which has had no beginning in time and shall have no end. This Emanation or Creation was produced by the Primal Will (Mashiyyat-i Ula مشیّت اولی) and though eternal in duration, is subsequent to the latter as to causation. Since it is improbable for created beings to know the divine Essence, the Primal Will has, for their guidance and instruction incarnated itself from time to time in a human form. These incarnations are known as “Prophets” and there have been endless numbers of them. That which spoke in all the prophets of the past, now speaks through the BÂB (or the Nuqta = Point) and will speak through “Him Whom God shall manifest,” and after him, through others, for there is no cessation to these manifestations. The Primal Will is like the Sun, which rises and sets day after day, but is always the same sun in reality ……. So is like manner, though we may, in common language, speak of Adam, Nova, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad as distinct, in truth that which spoke in each of them was One, viz, the Primal Will.

This is the meaning of the saying of Muhammad “amman-n nabiyyun, fa-anna”. The last manifestation of the Primal Will took place 1270 years ago (counting not from the Hijra, but from the first revelations received by His Holiness Muhammad till the beginning of this Zuhur, i.e. manifestation) and it has now incarnated itself in Sayyid Ali Muhammad, the Point (Nuqta) and speaks through him.”

Commenting on Bahai claim that the religion of Bayan was not for the whole humanity in his preface to the Persian Bayan, Tome troisieme, page vi, A.L.M. Nicholas says:
"Is this (religion of Bayan) a divine religion or not. If it is Divine, by what right can one judge it? If it is not, how can Beha oullah prophet of God proceed of it?

French Text:
Si elle est Divine, de quel droit la juge-t-on? si elle ne l’est pas, comment Beha oullah, Prophète de Dieu, procède-t-il d’elle ?

“BÂBism, the religion of BÂB (the Gate), initiated by his proclamation at Shiraz, Persia, on May 23, 1844 ………. Had he confined his aim and effort to the reform of morals and worship within the framework of traditional Mohammedanism, the BÂB might not have aroused the implacable hatred of the ecclesiastics nor awakened the fear of government itself. It was his action in revealing a new Holy Book, and in abrogating the religious law of the Quran, which led to the charges that he was the destroyer of religion and the source of rebellion against the state. ….

The Point’s own words, however, made it clear that while his authority was equal to that of Muhammad, he was likewise the herald of a succeeding and greater manifestation, “He Whom God Would Manifest”, ………… and the BÂB himself was executed by a regiment of soldiers in the public square of Tabriz on July 9, 1853. ….. After the martyrdom of the BÂB a few of his followers sought to maintain a permanent ‘BÂBi’ movement and the sect became known as Azalis, from their leader, Subh-i Azal. The majority, however true to the fundamental character of the BÂB’s mission, became Bahais. The cycle of the BÂB’s religion was the period of nineteen years, from 1844 to 1863, when Bahaullah was accepted as the manifestation heralded by the BÂB…” The BÂB and Bahaullah are held by the Bahais to be the co-founders of their faith.”

The glaring misrepresentations that have crept into the articles on the Bahai faith and religion of Bayan in the Encyclopaedia Britannica are unfortunate. It is presumed, their author did not have access to all the material on the subject.
There is no historical foundation for the allegation that the Primal Point (BÂB) was Baha’s herald [see Stations attributed to the Primal Point and Baha and the meaning of Herald مبشر ].

There is no historical foundation for the allegation that “after the martyrdom of the BÂB, a few followers sought to maintain a permanent BÂBi movement under their leader Subh-i Azal.”

The appointment of Subh-i Azal as the Point’s successor by the Point himself took place during the life-time of the Primal Point. (See The Primal Point's Will & Testament).

All the BÂBis recognised the appointment, including Baha himself until his defection in Edirne. The Bayani religion was officially proscribed in Persia. After this defection, Baha proscribed access to BÂBi literature to improve his claim. Therefore the acceptance of Baha by “the majority” is not in itself a proof that he was in fact ‘He Whom God Shall Manifest’ of the Bayan.

The author of the articles does not account for the lacuna which he terms ‘the cycle of the BÂB’s religion was the period of 19 years, from 1844 to 1863.”

The author of the article on the Bahai faith quotes Baha as teaching that “Man’s spiritual and social evolution proceeds in cycles of approximately 1,000 years.” How does he account for his allegation that “the BÂB’s mission,” which brought “a new Holy Book and abrogated the religious laws of the Quran,” was for a “cycle of nineteen years,” although he asserts that “the BÂB’s authority was equal to that of Muhammad”. In the presence of the express provision of the Bayan that the Point’s dispensation is “in the stage of seed” (see Qiyamat-i Quran (Resurrection of Quran) and that its “ultimate perfection will become apparent at the beginning of the manifestation of ‘He Whom God Shall Manifest’,” whose advent, in the words of the Primal Point as contained in the Bayan, will be in “Ghiyath” [=1511] or “Mustaghath” [=2001] [i.e. within this number of years after the ‘Manifestation of the Primal Point].

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