Baha's Grounds of Pretensions Point’s Reply to The Letter of the Living Mulla Baqir
17. Point’s Reply to The Letter of the Living Mulla Baqir
17.4. Analysis of the Point’s Reply to Mulla Baqir
This excerpt does not appear in the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf and in god passes by. For ‘Punishment’ see This link is not provided yet!.
This excerpt appears in the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, P.141, the passage underlined excepted. Reference to “Him” are similar to those quoted in J.R.A.S. April 1892, pp. 301-302.
Every major manifestation covenants with god for belief in the next manifestation of his revelation (infra).
This Excerpt does not appear in the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. It is quoted in god passes by p.30. Shoghi Effendi says that this was “in reply to Wahid [i.e. Sayyid Yahya of Darab] and to one of the Letters of the Living who had inquired about the promised One.” Wahid made no such inquiry and no such reply was ever addressed by the Primal Point to him. “The Letter of the Living” whose name Shoghi Effendi has suppressed is Mulla Baqir on the own admission of Baha and Shoghi Effendi (infra).
This Excerpt appears in the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf P. 1183, parts underlined excepted. The omitted parts refer to a remote future when high public functionaries such as a Qadi, a Shaykh-al-Islam, a Mujtahid and Imam Jum’a will have emerged in the Bayan; they will all be proud of their titles, and yet be veiled from the grantor of these titles namely, He-Whom-God-Shall-Make-Manifest, as witnessed in the case of the Primal Point (Persian Bayan V, 18).
It cannot be asserted that this provision took effect during the Point’s lifetime or after His. Hence the omission.
This Excerpt appears in Baha’s Risala of A.H. 1286 (1896), manuscript, pp. 8-9, Baha says that this was addressed by the Primal Point to “Wahid-i-Akbar [i.e. Sayyid Yahya of Darab].” This must be a mistake as Wahid-i-Akbar made no such inquiry and no such reply was ever addressed by the Primal Point to him. This Excerpt as well as the one on p.9 are from the Point’s reply to Baqir (infra). The word “Allaza” at p.9 is presumably the scribe’s mistake and should read “$”.
Baha says that the Wáhid of the Bayan were the first Creatures and all others were created within their shade. In ibid p.37, Baha says that next to the Point of the Bayan, the Wáhid of the Bayan consisted of souls that no one ranked before them and that a few of these souls must needs be present in the next manifestation, the Risala is in the handwriting of noted Bahai Calligraphist Mirza Husayn of Khurasan, known as Mushkin Qalam.
This Excerpt appears in the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. Shoghi Effendi’s Translation, p.153, parts underlined omitted. These omitted parts do not appear in the original text of the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. The Wáhid of the Bayan is defined in the translation as “(Eighteen Letters of the Living).” This definition does not appear in the original text of the epistle to the Son of the Wolf.
In the Julie Chamler’s translation of the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p.112 footnote 1, the Wáhid of the Bayan is defined as “the eighteen Letters of the Living, in the Bayan, composing the Unity or Council of eighteen members presiding over the destiny of Bayani faith, until the coming of Him-Whom-God-shall-Make-Manifest”.
In his Will & Testament; Sir Abbas Effendi refers to the Wáhid of the Bayan as the Wáhid-i-Awwal (The Primal Unity”, which he defines as composed of “the blessed person of His Holiness the hand of the Supreme [i.e. the Primal Point] and His Eighteen Letter of the Living”.
In god passes by, p.89, Shoghi Effendi defines the Wáhid of the Bayan as (“Eighteen Letter of the Living and the BÁB)”.
In the Dawn-Breakers, Nabil’s Narrative, Shoghi Effendi’s translation, American edition, in the part preceding Introduction “facsimiles” are given of “the BÁB’s autograph Tablets addressed to the Letters of the Living and to Bahaullah.” Names of the addressees of the Tablets do not appear in the text, they are added as subtitles by Shoghi Effendi.
“Nineteen Letters of the Living” “The BÁB himself” “Twelfth Letter of the Living” “Bahaullah” “Him-Whom-God-Shall-Make-Manifest”.
In Bahaullah and the New Era by J.E. Esslemont, Revised Edition, First Printing, p.19, it is stated that “the first eighteen disciples of the BÁB (and himself as nineteen) became known as “Letters of the Living”.
The equivalent of “His Face” appearing in the text is “wajhaha”. This expression appears in the Quran, Sura xxvii, the story, the last verse, which runs as follows: “Everything shall perish except Himself (Kulla Shay’in halikun illa wajhaha)” Rodwell’s translation.
In the Persian Bayan Wáhid viii, BÁB 3, the Primal Point says that after the manifestation all things shall perish except His [i.e. god’s] Face (wajhaha) in the day of resurrection. The Primal Point adds that the numerical value of the wajhaha is equivalent to the numerical value of the Wáhid (i.e. 19) and goes on to say that anyone who comes within the shade of the Letters of the One of the Bayan(Hurruf-i-Wáhid) is deemed not to have perished until the coming of Him-Whom-God-Shall-Make-Manifest.
This rule holds good in every major manifestation. The state of perishing is to be construed as death in spiritual sense.
The manifestation of the age is the Creator of all the Letters, the Letters of the Living included. The Primal Point is not a Letter of the Living. See Exordium, and of III, 8, of the Persian Bayan.
In the day of the manifestation of Him-Whom-God-Shall-Make-Manifest the whole Bayan will be deemed to be One with Number, which returns to One without Number, who will be He-Whom-God-Shall-Make-Manifest himself, from Whom Letters of the Living will then be generated, and then the Primal Unity will increase in the same way as believers in the Bayan today are reflection of the Primal Unity. Enclosure vi, printed copy of the Persian Bayan, vi, 7, p. 208.
“His Face” in the excerpt stands for Him-Whom-God-Shall-Make-Manifest, due to come in the fullness of time as is laid down in the Bayan, and for His Letters of the Living to be generated from Him after His appearance and not before.
What is therefore meant by the Wáhid of the Bayan referred to in the excerpts is reflections of the Point’s Primal Unity and “not a few of the Point’s Letters of the Living” or “the BÁB himself and his Eighteen Letters of the Living”, as alleged.
The Primal Point says that he is the Revealer of the Quran. Persian Bayan II, 2; viii, 2.
The Primal Point says that He-Whom-God-Will-Make-Manifest is the Revealer of the Bayan. Persian Bayan, v,3; v,8.
All Major Manifestations are in essence One being and reveal one evolving truth, thus a succeeding manifestation and his Revelation are more perfect than a preceding manifestation and his Revelation, Persian Bayan, III,4, printed copy.
This is the meaning of “the words sent down in the Bayan in his earlier manifestation” namely, is the Revealer of the Bayan, referred to in the Excerpt.
Wáhid is either One or Nineteen. It never becomes Two, or Twenty. Shoghi Effendi’s treatment of the Primal Point and Him-Whom-God-Will-Make-Manifest as the Nineteenth Letter of the Living and Twentieth Letter of the Living respectively strikes at the very root of the Point’s theory of theophanies.
(For Letters of the Living, the Primal Unity and Wáhid see sections Letters of the Living, Return, Grants & Wáhid (one), the Primal Unity (Wáhid-i- Awwal) - These links are not provided yet!.
This excerpt appears in the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, P.183. The eye making one to see Him with His eye “is created after His Manifestation”. Persian Bayan, Wáhid viii, BÁB 6.
Of this Excerpt parts underlined from “were I to be assured …” to “from thee” and from “if I be told …” to “the apple of my eye” appear in god passes by, p.30; but they are omitted in the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. Also part underlined from “then in the Day of His Manifestation …” to “the all Highest” appears in the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, the rest of the excerpt is omitted both in the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf as well as in god passes by.
There is noting spectacular about Him-Whom-God-Will-Make-Manifest as each succeeding Manifestation is greater than the preceding one. Persian Bayan, III, 4, Persian Bayan iv, 12.
This important excerpt is entirely omitted both in the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf and in god passes by.
The whole of this important excerpt is omitted in the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf and god passes by, with the exception of the following cryptic passage:
The Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Shoghi Effendi’s translation, p.174: “He [i.e. the Primal Point] saith to the Letter of the Living, Mulla Baqir: “Haply thou mayest in Eighth year, in the day of His Revelation, attain unto His Presence.’”
In the Dawn-Breakers, Nabil’s Narrative, Shoghi Effendi’s translation, p.248, footnote 2, Shoghi Effendi translates the same passage as follows:
“To Mulla Baqir, One of the Letters of the Living, He [i.e. the Primal Point] addresses these words:” Haply, in the Eighth year, the Day of His manifestation, thou mayest attain His presence.’” (the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf”, p.129).
According to the Primal Point, god has ordered the world according to the number of All Things (19 X 19 = 361), and the arrangement of the Bayan follows this order. See Exordium of the Persian Bayan. The first commandment of god prescribed in the first chapter of Wáhid I of the Bayan is “there is no god (la illah) save god (illa Allah).” The Bayan returns to this formula and it is by this formula that Resurrection of the second Creation will occur when He-Whom-God-Will-Make-Manifest appears. I,1; III, _ .
Now, this formula consists of two parts:
The first part is “la Illah” called “the letter s of Negation” (Huruf-i-Nafy) and the second part is called :Illa Allah” “Letters of Affirmation” (Huruf-i-Itbbat). There are eight believers in “Illa Allah” with the Letter Lam doubled”
8 = ا ل ل ا ا ل ل ا ه
The Primal Point calls upon Mulla Baqir to ask pardon of god because of his inquiry regarding He-Whom-God-Will-Make-Manifest before his appearance an inquiry which he was not at liberty to make (Introduction). To atone for this improper question Mulla Baqir is commanded to say a prescribed invocation, according to the number of the Letters in ‘Illa Allah (with the letter Lam doubled) so that he might attain unto meeting with He-Whom-God-Will-Make-Manifest in the eighth year of the day of His manifestation in the next resurrection and not, repeat, not in the eighth year of the manifestation of the Primal Point as alleged. As it has been noted in Baha’s Date of Annunciation no declaration in the year eight or nineteen. He set his pretensions in the Edirne twenty two years after the Point’s declaration in 1844. As the cryptic passage quoted by Baha who proves, all these excerpts are taken from the Point’s reply to Mulla Baqir.
This excerpt does not appear in the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. It is quoted in god passes by, p.30, part underlined excepted.
P.30: “Bear witness that, through this book, I have covenanted with all created things concerning the mission of Him-Whom-Thou-Shall-Make-Manifest, ere the covenant concerning my own mission had been established. Sufficient witness art thou and they that have believed in thy Signs.”
Full provision is made in the Persian Bayan for the covenant referred to in the Excerpt. Enclosure vii, III, 15, p.99; vi, 15, p. 235, printed copies.
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