Yahweh, Theos, Allah, Ahura Mazda, Brahman are all names by which different cultures called upon the One True God.

What do you believe and what is your religious conviction?

Hi Bill, you are so naive. The God of Bible(O.T) is Yaehew and god of Q’uran is Allah. He is one of the three sixty pagan god of Kaba temple picked up by Muhamad. No christian and Jews worship Allah and agree Muhamad as a prophet. They worship Christ as son of god
and altogether reject Allah and Muhamad as
fake and forged.Don’t underestimate the power of god of bible.He holds the largest market share with two billion followers. Not a matter of joke. I hope you heard the name Mirza guhlam Ahmad(1835-1908) from India. He too broke the seal and claimed as a prophet, regularly received message from Quranic god Allah. I am very tolerant by nature. I respect
Mirja Ghulam and accept him in the pantheon of prophethood. Are you tolerant enough to accept Mirja as a prophet though he lined behind Bahau’lla. I doubt.
Ahamadiya sect is baned in all islamic states. You know, in 1953, sunni muslims in Pakistan waged jihad and slaughtered twelve thousend Ahamadiya followers in Lahore and forbiden the sect by state authority. What a disaster? For your information right now there are couple of hundreds self styled prophets who receives regular revealation. Be respectful to them.
from god.

The Bible says that Jesus was the alpha and omega (the first and the last). Most Christians insist that this means there can be no other Messenger after Jesus. The Qur’an says that Muhammad was the “seal of the Prophets.” Most Muslims insist that this means Muhammad was the final Prophet – no others will ever appear. Yet Islam also believes that the Mahdi and Jesus Christ will return.

All of the Manifestations of God were the first and the last, because they represent the Godhead in the kingdom of creation and God – may He be praised – is the beginning and ending of all things.

Also, the cycle of prophecy that began with Adam did end with Muhammad, for they were all looking forward to the time of fulfilment, the Day of Judgement, the Day of God. That time is this age and the Bringer of that fulfilment is Baha’ullah, the Universal Manifestation of God Who fulfills the Adamic cycle. Therefore, Muhammad was the last or final Prophet to predict or point toward the Day of God.

Omid is not a Muslim, he is a Baha’i. A Baha’i is not belittling or attacking Islam by believing in Baha’u'llah. He is following the beliefs of his own religion. You believe Muhammad is the last Prophet, period. Baha’is believe that Muhammad, like all of the Messengers, was both first and last, and that He was the final foreteller of the Day of God, which Baha’u'llah has brought. This is merely a different belief from yours; it is not an attack on Islam. Baha’is spend a lot of time defending Islam against its detractors in the West.

The Qur’an criticized people who denied its revelation by thinking that “God’s hands are chained up.” God replies to them in the Qur’an – “Chained up be their own hands!” How can the flow of divine grace and the succession of His Messengers ever stop? God promised us that He would guide us and we promised to hear Him. He has spoken again in Baha’u'llah, the Living Book, the Temple of God amongst men, the Great Announcement, the bringer of the resurrection. Arise from the grave! “He who hath been reborn in this day shall never die. He who remaineth dead shall never live.”

I found this quote kind of interesting.

“The Core of Teachings”

“The core of Krisnamurthy’s teaching is contained in the statement he made in 1929 when he said: “Truth is a pathless land”. Man cannot come to it through any organization, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, not through any philosophic knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of his own mind, through observation and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection.

Although this insightful and enlightened statement reflects the true nature of one’s ultimate search for truth, he himself was a teacher and professed a method and a way.

In any case, Baha’is are not new age tree hugging hippies. We do have laws, we do have doctrines and principles that are central to the Faith. One of those principles is in fact that Baha’u'llah was animated by the same infallible spirit that animated Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammad to name the major ones. We believe that the truths and principles Baha’u'llah has brought for this day and age which set it apart from just being a sect or a movement are divine and pre-ordained in nature. God reveals as we are able to accept.

To say with a bold faced that God has nothing more to say and nothing more to teach us is blasphemy in my opinion. Am I to accept that it is some Shiekh or “ayatollah”, priest or rabbi that is only human to reveal God’s messsage and elaborate on what has already been elaborated a million times over?

One of the core principles of the Baha’i Faith is that God will always be sending messengers and it is up to us as individuals whether to accept or reject, regardless or what religious scholars tell us is the truth.

It is true, Baha’u'llah’s teachings have merit in and of them self; yet it is the fact that He claims it is divinely inspired that makes us have faith in it. Having faith and aligning ones self with some good idea is different. Faith means you are willing to die and work all your life for it. Just agreeing with the idea…not good enough.

http://www.jkrishnamurti.org/index.php?page=103&nav=welcome&nid=103

http://www.katinkahesselink.net/kr/

Your comment regarding the Baha’is and the validity issues that Muslims have are certainly well founded. Clearly, there are passages in the Quran that Muhammad is that last of the messengers and there will be none after Him.

The Baha’i view is this: I will use direct quotes as much as possible because this issue has been debated since the inception of the Baha’i Faith and many more knowledgeable people have more meaningful situations.

“There is no God but One God, and all the Messengers, from the beginning to the Seal of the Prophets (Muhammad) were sent on the part of the True One!” -Abdu’l-Baha, Son of Baha’u'llah Tablets of the Divine Plan, page 79

Baha’u'llah wrote:

” …how many are those who, through failure to understand its meaning, have allowed the term “Seal of the Prophets” to obscure their understanding, and deprive them of the grace of all His manifold bounties! Hath not Muhammad, Himself, declared: “I am all the Prophets?” Hath He not said as We have already mentioned: “I am Adam, Noah, Moses, and Jesus?” Why should Muhammad, that immortal Beauty, Who hath said: “I am the first Adam” be incapable of saying also: “I am the last Adam”? For even as He regarded Himself to be the “First of the Prophets” – that is Adam – in like manner, the “Seal of the Prophets” is also applicable unto that Divine Beauty. It is admittedly obvious that being the “First of the Prophets,” He likewise is their “Seal.”

The mystery of this theme hath, in this Dispensation, been a sore test unto all mankind. Behold, how many are those who, clinging unto these words, have disbelieved Him Who is their true Revealer. What, We ask, could this people presume the terms “first” and “last” – when referring to God – glorified be His Name! – to mean? If they maintain that these terms bear reference to this material universe, how could it be possible, when the visible order of things is still manifestly existing? Nay, in this instance, by “first” is meant no other than the “last” and by “last” no other than the “first.”

Even as in the “Beginning that hath no beginnings” the term “last” is truly applicable unto Him who is the Educator of the visible and of the invisible, in like manner, are the terms “first” and “last” applicable unto His Manifestations. They are at the same time the Exponents of both the “first” and the “last.” Whilst established upon the seat of the “first,” they occupy the throne of the “last.” Were a discerning eye to be found, it will readily perceive that the exponents of the “first” and the “last,” of the “manifest” and the “hidden,” of the “beginning” and the “seal” are none other than these holy Beings, these Essences of Detachment, these divine Souls. And wert thou to soar in the holy realm of “God was alone, there was none else besides Him,” thou wilt find in that Court all these names utterly non-existent and completely forgotten. Then will thine eyes no longer be obscured by these veils, these terms, and allusions. How ethereal and lofty is this station, unto which even Gabriel, unshepherded, can never attain, and the Bird of Heaven, unassisted, can never reach!” -Baha’u'llah, Kitab-i-Iqan, pages 162-164

Here are some serious sites that deal with more issue s that Muslims, both Shi’a and Sunni have with the Baha’i Faith.

Baha’i Faith and Islam

Islamic prophecies and the Baha’i Interpretation

Cheers!

However, you managed to give an interesting brief that is truly informative.. I hope people would read more of these articles than to just look away and tune in to another mainstream outlet.. I hope my people would “read” more..

Then again, i salute you..

there is a strong muslim view which addresses Bahais as (direct or indirect) agents of Israel. then, if you say more about current status of Bahais in Israel (like the last sentences of this post), it will be much more useful.

Baha’is are not allowed to live in Israel unless they are working for the Baha’i Institutions in Haifa. The work at the Baha’i institutions is only concerned with the management and promotion of the Baha’i Faith in other countries around the World. The Baha’is have been asked and are required to observe the laws and requests of the countries in which they abide. Of course when a country doesn’t follow its own laws and then persecutes the Baha’is i.e. Iran, Egypt etc…then the avenues of the UN and human rights are brought up to point out the injustice.

Abdul’Baha, the son of Baha’u'llah was knighted by the British during the end of WWI for his humanitarian activities and dispersement of grain and foods during the war. When the Balfour declaration was initiated and the completely separate political movement known as Zionism gained momentum, Abdul’Baha knowing that the Baha’i Faith and its founding figures would be permanently put to rest in the shrines around Haifa and Akka made a standing agreement that said whatever the political leadership is governing the land that encompasses the Baha’i places that there would be no teaching of the Baha’i Faith, no involvement in the affairs of the state nor any participation in the political decisions. This arrangement has been honored for almost a 100yrs. Ask any Baha’i. It is a very strict policy. NO POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT.

I can understand however when Muslims make accusations of the like. Yes, our holy laces are in Israel, yes the Baha’i leadership is in Israel. But we were there before the Israeli and Zionist movements took shape. Kind of like the Palestinians! But when people make accusations saying we are Israeli agents, Zionist spies etc…It just can’t be. My poor 80yr grandma was accused of being a spy. They killed her dog, torched her house and tortured her for 3 months before the just let her go. This was all during the glorious Iranian revolution.

Did you know that Baha’is are also forbidden from taking part in any secret societies i.e. the Masons or Illuminati. It is strictly forbidden by the leadership and writings of the Faith. I can provide the references if you like.

To address Fariborz’s questions…

Bahá’u'lláh states that “the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God.” The Founders of the world’s religions–Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Krishna, Jesus, Muhammad–are one in Their nature and Their purpose, and the effect of these successive Revelations on human consciousness has been cumulative.

In proclaiming the pivotal principle of the oneness of humankind, Bahá’u'lláh outlines a body of social precepts which He says must guide the future development of society. Strong emphasis is placed on the abolition of prejudices of all kinds. There is, Bahá’u'lláh insists, but one human race; notions that a particular racial or ethnic group is in some way superior to the rest of humanity are without foundation. Women and men are fully equal in the sight of God, and society must reorganize its life so as to give practical effect to this reality. The era has dawned, Bahá’u'lláh says, for the establishment of justice in human affairs, and considerable attention is given in His writings to the responsibility of society to ensure economic justice among its component groups. Closely related to these concerns is the obligation of parents to educate their children and the assertion that it is the responsibility of society to make certain that the means for universal education are provided. Every human being must be trained to “look into all things with a searching eye” so that truth can be independently ascertained. The resources of both science and faith must be tapped if the capacities of the world’s peoples are to reach the levels needed to address the problems of the present hour. Reliance on consultative decision-making “bestoweth greater awareness and transmuteth conjecture into certitude”–thereby providing the means for effecting meaningful change where social progress has been inhibited. The adoption of the principle of collective security and the establishment of institutions of governance at the global level will ensure permanent stability and peace in international relations.

Lets try to clear up an other wrong ideas…

could you just tell us what are those basic teachings and why a bahai can’t be an agent?

I reall appreciate for your nice article.

then, if you say more about current status of Bahais in Israel (like the last sentences of this post), it will be much more useful.

Yes, I agree that this is an important emphasis. A lot of Muslims are under the impression that Baha’is are the work of Zionists- and all Baha’is teachings/institutions are funded by the state of Israel.

I honestly don’t understand where or how this view came about. What are the sources of such opinions?

When we did the Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights, oh man. You should have seen all the angry e-mails we were getting, most of which included “Israel-lovers! Go support the death of Palestinians!” and I’m thinking “What does that have to do with anything?!”