Bahai Millenarism

Grupos de noticias: soc.culture.iranian De: nhaz [email protected] (NHazini) Fecha: 1997/01/26 Asunto: Babism/Baha'ism as esoteric Shi'ism universalized

Qizilbash has raised an important issue: i.e. the non-mystical, secular motivation of much of the liberal political agenda of democratic politics in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century Iran. However, it is not that easy to dismiss the Babi and Baha'i movements on those grounds, since as first and foremost being chiliastic/millenarian (i.e messianic) movements they were, above all, addressing a specifically Shi'i religious ethos - and only secondarily did a social and political dimension arise. In other words, the call to political and social reform, which both Babism and Baha'ism addressed in different ways, was part-and-parcel of a quintessentially religious message that continually stressed that a new aion of religious history, or a new divine cycle, was before us now with the advent (zuhur) of (what in Babi/Baha'i language is called) the mazhar-i amr-i illahi (the manifestation of the command of God) in the persons of, first, Siyyid `Ali-Muhammad Bab (as the self-proclaimed Hidden Imam made manifest) and later Mirza Husayn-`Ali Nuri Baha'u'llah (as the personification and fulfillment of this divine theophanic cycle begun by the Siyyid-i Bab). As such, it was incumbent that the need be emphasized for the old structures of society to be reformed or replaced since the Millenium, as such, had arrived. As a side note: every Millenarian movement in history with messianic overtones - movements which, by the way, are always born out of an intrinsically religious esoteric milieu - be they the Joachimites of the Middle Ages, the Anabaptists of the Reformation, the Nizari Isma'ilis of Alamut or the Qarmathians of Bahrain, the Jewish Sabbatians or the Babis, always comes with a charismatic agenda for reforming society in some way and usually, but not always, it entails a radical (and often democratic) reform. Qizibash's point about esotericism and mystism vis-a-vis the Babi-Baha'i religion(s) takes us into some interesting and unexplored waters. Unfortunately most modern Baha'is, let alone non-Baha'is, are completely unfamiliar with the rich mystical and esoteric heritage of their religious history; a heritage which compelled the late Italian Islamicist Alessandro Bausani (d. 1985) to conclude his impressive magnum opus about the history and phenomenology of Iranian religions, *Persia Religiosa* (Naples: 1968?), with the Babis and Baha'is. Also, the great Muslim political philosopher of the sub-continent and the father of Pakistan, Mohammad Iqbal Lahori (who had actually been a Baha'i in his youth), wrote in his dissertation *The Development of Metaphysics in

Persia*, that the culmination of high metaphysics and mysticism in the Iranian religious ethos was to be found in the Babi-Baha'i movement(s), and that he considered Baha'u'llah to be "...the Buddha [par excellence] of Persia." Furthermore, in his *Javid-Namah* a central figure of early Babism, Zarin Taj Baraghani Qazvini *Tahirih Qurratu'l-`Ayn*, appears together with Hallaj, Ghalib and Rumi as among the most perfect of the divinely intoxicated ecstatics (mahjub), and with Hallaj she is considered by him the hero of the Sphere of Jupiter (which in Ishraqi cosmology is the most proximate sphere to the Godhead). The Shaykhi school, which Babism is in many ways an offshoot and derivation of, is perhaps the most esoteric and 'gnostic' of the schools of Shi'i thought. Being a continuation of the doctrinal developments of the last two centuries with 1) the School of Isfahan and 2) the subsequent Usuli-Akhbari controversies that divided the `ulama of the Shi'i world into hostile camps, Shakhism saw itself in the middle-ground, as it were. However unlike the chief figures of the School of Isfahan, Sadr al-Din Shirazi (a.k.a. Mulla Sadra) and Muhsin Fayz Kashani, as well as the Nimatullahi Sufi Order which was enjoying a brief renaissance at the time - both of whom were universalists and beholden to the theosophical Sufism of Ibn `Arabi and his school -, Shaykh Ahmad Ahsai was a through and through sectarian Twelver Shi'ite (some might even say bigoted) and relied exclusivelly upon the writings and traditions of the Imams and as such saw himself in the role of re-establishing their long neglected 'philosophical-mystical' heritage - at least from his point of view. The wahdat al-wujud (Unity of Existence) doctrine of Ibn `Arabi, Mulla Sadra and the Shi'ite Sufis also posed an insurmountable theological issue to Shaykh Ahmad, so in the majority of his philosophical endeavours he followed the less controversial Ishraqis and especially the ideas of Mir Damad in metaphysics - the other major figure of the School of Isfahan. Shaykh Ahmad believed that the Fourteen Immaculate Ones (the chahardah masumin) exist in a state of pure undifferentiated unity as a pleromatic column of light emanating from the Godhead to the world of creation - Suhrawardi had called this emanation the procession of 'angelic intelligences' or Platonic forms/ideas (mithal aflatuniyyah) but Shaykh Ahmad insisted that it was in fact the undivided essence of the Prophet, Fatimah and the 12 Imams - and that the chahardah masumin are the mazahir-i illahiyyeh (manifestations of God). In fact, this term was not new at the time and was used previously by, for instance, Kulayni in the *Usul min al-Kafi* (the compilation of the sayings of the Imams) and by the theologian Ibn Babuya as an appelative description of the spiritual station of the Imams; but this term was especially common among the Sufis and their account of the station and cosmological function of the Perfect Man (insan-i kamil) as the manifestation of the Haqiqqah Muhammadiyyah (the Muhammadan Reality). Standing mid-way between the pleromatic light of the Fourteen Immaculates and the world, Shaykh Ahmad Ahsai posited the necessity for the existence of a Perfect Shi'ite (al-shi'i al-kamil) or a Fourth

Support (ar-rukn ar-rabi'a) - much like the Perfect Man or murshid of the Sufis (fourth after Divinity, Prophecy and the Imamate) as the intermediary between the pious Shi'i of the world (who Shaykh Ahmad saw as the chosen people of God much like the Jews would see themselves) and the rest of humanity.The Shi'i, the Fourth Support and the chahardah masumin, as such, share a unific mystical relationship: the Shi'i community is the macrocosmic body of the microcosmic Perfect Shi'i (the Fourth Support) and the Perfect Shi'i is the vehicle for the manifestation of the Metacosmic will of the Fourteen Immaculates who are/is the emanation of the Godhead. The complete details of the Shaykhi mystico-cosmology is quite involved to go into here in any greater depth. But suffice it to say that these Shaykhi ideas paved the way for much of later Babi-Baha'i mystico-theosophical speculations, since the overwhelming majority of early converts to both of these movements where Shaykhis. It was the Islamicist and now turned suspense fiction novelist, Denis MacEoin (known by the pen-name 'Daniel Easterman'), who first observed that Babism-Baha'ism are (is) in essence 'esoteric Shi'ism universalized': see his "Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy in Nineteenth-Century Shi'ism: The Cases of Shaykhism and Babism," The Journal of the American Oriental Society (1990) 110:2, pp.323-9. This is quite a bold and sweeping, yet poignant, assumption, since it is not an observation based merely on the level of historical criticism (which is self-evidently obvious from the geneology and sources of the two movements) but, rather, it is inherently a 'phenomenological' assumption. Whatever its interpretative problems, however,- and MacEoin unfortunately does not expand on nor support further his assertion -, it is nevertheless a point well taken. So what does one mean when one says that Babism-Baha'ism is in many ways esoteric Shi'ism universalized - this, in spite of the insistent protestations of modern Baha'is to characterize themselves as an independent and universal religion transcendening what their holy scriptures characterize as the "Islamic Dispensation"? First, what it does *not* mean to say is that the Babi or Baha'i movement is nothing more than an offshoot sect of Shi'ism - this whole concept is laden with the most profound structural and interpretative flaws of the first order and is the common, problematic conclusion of the bigoted polemical literature of the past decades. What it does mean to say is that by modifying and transforming the central religious motifs and dogmas of Shi'ism - the inner architecture and archetype of Shi'ism, as it were - (and there are many, many points of reference for anyone who cares to unbiasedly read and analyze Baha'i literature for themselves) (note: I am particularly speaking of esoteric Shi'ism here), Babism-Baha'ism, by its specific historical and cultural situation, has incorporated and, above all,

'universalized' Shi'ism within itself. This is part one of the analysis. The second part entails the doctrine itself. We said above that the concept of mazhar-i illahiyyeh appears in one form in early Shi'ite thought and I pointed specifically to Kulayni and Ibn Babuya - it might be instructive in this regard to refer people to a new groundbreaking study/monograph of early Shi'ite doctrine and thought by Amir-`Ali Mo'ezzi, *The Early Divine Guide in Shi'ism* SUNY (Albany: 1996). This notion is the central foundation - the very pivot - upon which the entire Babi-Baha'i weltanschuuang (world-view) revolves around. Briefly: the the Godhead as the Necessary Being (wajib al-wujud) is completely transcendent, beyond comprehension or ontological relation to the world. The first act of the Godhead in pre-eternity (sarmad) was to emanate His Will - this is according to Babi-Baha'i hermenuetics the 'kun fi yakun' (Be and It Is) of the Quran. This first act constitutes the Primal Will (mashiyyah al-awwal) and as such is the inner reality of the Prophets or mazahir-i illahiyyeh (manifestations of the Godhead). Note: this is not hulul (incarnationism) since the Babi-Baha'i writings insist on a strict emanation scheme that constantly employs the analogy of 'the Writer and his writing' (i.e. the writing is not the Writer but the concrete manifestation of the conceptual thought/or act of the Writer). Following from this, there is a further emanation from the Primal Will which engenders the world of being, origination and corruption (to use Aristotle's phrase). After its existence, which is a perpetual process eternally flowing from Divinity, all things in the world of creation begin the path of seeking their own inherent perfection (takamol) which leads them upwards upon the path of ascent back to their origin - this is much like Mulla Sadra's doctrine of transubstantial motion (harakat-i jowharriyeh). Their ultimate goal of completion is self-knowledge, which amounts to the knowledge of the manifestation of the Godhead, which is the inner essence of all things - there is a hadith qudsi (actually there are a number of variations to this hadith qudsi) which has the Prophet (pbuh) or `Ali (pbuh) saying, "man `arafa nafsi faqad `arafa rabbi" (He who knows my-self shall know the Lord). Existence, as we said, is on an upward path of perfection and greater realization. The theological consequence of this idea is two-fold: 1) the Primal Will is the same in all the Prophets (including the Imams) hence all the Prophets are of the same ontological reality or substance, and 2) the word of God itself, due to the progressive upward path of existence, is eternally being rejuvenated or renewed. Consequently both the Siyyid-i Bab and Baha'u'llah saw themselves as the manifestations of the same, eternal Primal Will which has manifested itself at one time as Abraham, Moses, Zardosht, Jesus, the Prophet Mohammad, the Imams, etc. This is a very radical idea but has its roots firmly within the ethos of Shi'ite thought - as we saw. Next the Babi-Baha'i writings are replete with esoteric mysticism. To give one example: The *Haft Vadi* (Seven Valleys) of Mirza Husayn-`Ali

Nuri Baha'u'llah is on the 7 stations (maqamat) of the wayfaring mystic first presented by `Attar in his *Mantiq-i Tayr* on the individual's journey towards God, or God-realization. In this important treatise, among the issues discussed include the realization of the Perfect Man (or manifestation of God) within ones inner being in the opening prolegomena, the stages and pitfalls of the path, Mir Damad's concept of zaman (time) and huduth-i dahri (atemporal origination), the nature of divine and profane love, and the stations of fana and baqa (annihilation and subsistence in the God).There is also the *Kalimat-i Maknuneh* (the title and theme somewhat reminiscent of Muhsin Fayz Kashani's treatise by the same name) which is among some of the most moving and profound spiritual exhortations of world religious literature. Finally, let me conclude by saying that the Babi-Baha'i faith's claim to religious universality in effect universalizes Shi'ism. Regards, Nima

Grupos de noticias: soc.culture.iranian De: nhaz [email protected] (NHazini) Fecha: 1997/01/29 Asunto: Re: Babism/Baha'ism as esoteric Shi'ism universalized

Dear Koroush, I know of six university libraries here in North America that have the farsi text of *Resaleh-ye Madaniyeh*: U Michigan-Ann Arbor, UCLA, Harvard, Columbia, Princeton and U Texas-Austin. It was also recently reprinted by a Baha'i publishing house in Germany - *Baha'i verlag: HofheimLangenhain* (1984). Of course, there is the well-known English translation, *Secret of Divine Civilization*, which is easily available and dime-a-dozen. On Dehkhoda: he came from an Azali background, but I'm not sure if he was actually a practicing Babi himself (most probably wasn't). My source is from an unpublished diary (khatterat) by one Habibollah A. from Kashan who died a few years ago (this person claimed that some of his relatives had been Azali Babis and were related to one of Dehkhoda's relatives). However, I once spoke with one of Dehkhoda's students who confirmed this information. A complete study of Dehkhoda's family background and history should yield positive confirmation - perhaps it's time to write and publish a detailed bio-bibliographical account of him. The information on Furughi is from a few published accounts. I believe Mo'in mentions his Azali affliations.

The 1.5 number is a composite based on a few sources: 1) the research findings of Roy Mottahedeh at the Baha'i world center on Baha'i numbers at the turn of the century based on documents of a census taken by Baha'i leaders in 1920-1 (author) - also see *Note on Baha'i numbers* and the ensuing discussion in British Baha'i Studies Bulletin; 2) Fazel Mazandarani, *Tarikh-i Zuhur'ul-Haqq* vol. 3-6; 3) archives of the NSAI (National Spiritual Assembly of Iran) [note: I have not seen the archive census numbers of the NSAI but have been told they are available in that source]; 4) there is also short discussions in Smith *Babi-Baha'i religions* and Bayat *Mysticism and Dissent*. Now it is interesting how the official numbers have shrunk significantly over the decades. This is easily explainable. Many left or became inactive due to the secularization/modernization (and anti-religion) policies of Reza Shah and his son, the expansion of the civil service sector, the rise of the secular left, and the general persecution of Baha'is in Iran. The Azalis, on the other hand, have shrunk to an insignificant handful (perhaps no more than a few families). The reason for this is long and complicated, but it began already with people like Shaykh Ahmad Ruhi and Mirza Aqa Khan Kirmani who became secularized just prior to the Constitutional revolution itself. More later.. Regards, Nima