‘Ghiyath’ And ‘Mustaghath’
Baha re-Interprets Mustaqath
3. Baha re-Interprets Mustaqath
Baha's misinterpretation of the Mustaghath was, however suppressed by what may be termed his swan-song penned in his own handwriting (see below) wherein he put a new construction on the words Ghiyath and Mustaghath within the meaning of the provisions of the Bayan, subject to a reservation that he who may appear in the Mustaghath will bear witness that Baha is the lord of the heavens and earth.
With due regard to the historical background, the people of Bayan hold that the historical document corroborates their time-honoured assertion that Baha had been an intruder and interloper who had intruded himself into the interval between the time of the Primal Point and Him-Whom-God-Will-Make-Manifest, the promised One of the Bayan, and that Baha's reservation is a camouflage to disguise his intrusion. An abortive face saving clause.
To facilitate the decipherment of the document a transcription of it follows below:
یا مبدع کل بدیع
هذا مانزل من سمآء القدم و فیه فضل مقام لذی فیه استقر جمال الله علی عرش اسم عظیم و انه الموعود فی کّل الالواح بکل اسم ان انتم من العارفین و سمی فی البیان بمن یظهر و انه سیظهر فی المستغاث بسلطان مبین فطوبی لمن یحضر فی ذلک الیوم بین یدی الله بخضوع منیع و یقرء هذااللوح فی مقابلة العرش لیسمع سمع الله نغماته التی ظهرت من قبل بین السموات والارضین و بذلک بذکر هذا الاسم فی مقعد الذی جعله الله مقدساً عن ذکر العالمین انا ما اردنا فیما ذکر فی هذا اللوح الا نفسی المهمینة علی العالمین من ینتظر ظهوراً بعدی انه من الخاسرین و الذی یظهر بعد الالف انه ناطق باسمی و فی المستغاث بانی من یشهد لی بانی انا الله ربّ السموات والارضین ما عرف احد هذا الظهور الا علی قدر انه بکل شیئ علیم تمسکوا باقوم بعدی بالاغصان المنشعبة من هذا الاصل القدیم بهم ثمر نفحات قمیص بین العالم و لایجدها الا کل مقبل مستقیم ینبغی لکم یا اهل البهآء بان تستقیموا علی امر الله فی کل شأن ایاکم ان تتبعوا کل جاهل اثیم و بعد الاغصان قّدر لعبد الحاضر لدی العرش مقام رفیع و ینبغی لکم بان توقروا طائفة التی ظهر بیتهم محبوب العالمین من الذین آمنو بالله العزیز الحمید کذلک نزل فی البیان و هذا اللوح المنیر والذی اعرض منهم انه مّمن کفرو اشرک الا اّنه من الأخسرین الا بان یتوب اّنه لهو الغفور الّرحیم
Persian Translation of the text above:
ای نو آفریننده هر نو
این همان است که از آسمان قدیم فرود آمده و در آن شرح شده جایی که در آن استقرار می یابد جمال خدا بر تخت اسم بزرگ به حقیقت آن همام موعود است در همه الواح هرگاه شما از خداشناسان باشید در بیان من یظهر نامیده شده است و همانا او در مستغاث (سال 2001 از عصر بیان) با قدرت ظاهر خواهد شد بگو سوگند به خدا این روزی است که ندیده چشمان غیب مانند آن را پس چگونه چشمان شما ای بی خبران ببینید پس خوشا به حال کسی که در آنروز در حضور خدا با تواضعی بزرگ حاضر شود و این لوح را در مقابل آن عرش بخواند تا گوش خدا نغمه های او را بشنود نغمه هایی که پیش از این میان آسمانها و زمین ها ظاهر شد و بوسیله آن این اسم در جایی که خدا آن را از ذکر جهانیان مقدس قرار داده ذکر میشود همانا ما در این لوح اراده نکردیم در باره آنچه گفته شد مگر شخص خودم که محیط بر جهانیان هستم هرکس بعد از من انتظار ظهوری را بکشد البته او از زیانکاران است آن که بعد از هزار سال ظاهر میشود نیز به اسم من سخن میگوید و در مستغاث کسی خواهد آمد که از برای من گواهی خواهد داد به این که من پروردگار آسمانها و زمین ها هستم کسی این ظهور را نشناخت مگر اندکی البته او به همه چیز دانا است ای مردم پس از من چنگ زنید به شاخه های جدا شده از این ریشه قدیم بوسیله این شاخه ها عطر های پیراهن من در بین جهان میگذرد این عطر ها را نیابد مگر هر روی اورنده (راه) مستقیم بر شما سزوار است ای اهل بهاء که استقامت کنید در امر خدا در همه حال بترسید از این که پیروی کنید از هر نادان گناهکاری و پس از شاخه های درخت من برای بنده حاضر در نزد این عرش جایگاهی بلند مقدر شده بر شما شایسته است که طائفه ای را که از میان آنان محبوب جهانیان ظاهر شده بزرگ شمارید از کسانی که به خداوند عزیز پسندیده ایمان آوردند چنین آمده در بیان و (در) این لوح روشنگر آن که اعراض کرد از آنان همانا از کافرین است و شرک ورزیده آگاه باش که او از زیانکاران است مگر این که توبه کند البته او آمرزنده مهربان است.
Baha’s Swam Song on Ghiyath & Mustaghath
Apparently the expression ‘after a while’ and ‘the ninth year’ read out of their context were deemed to be insufficient quotable text on which Baha based his claim and he had to invoke further ‘authority’ to maintain his claim to be He Whom God Shall Make Manifest of the Bayan. This time he resorted to the interpretation of the word ‘Mustaghath’.
Baha’s erroneous interpretation intended to serve his particular purpose, however, was stillborn. It was revealed by Baha himself in a document penned in his own handwriting towards the end of his days, facsimile and translation of which appears below, Baha says that “the promised One was named in the Bayan Who-Will-Appear [i.e.] He Whom God Will Make Manifest” and that “in truth he shall appear in the Mustaghath” namely after a maximum period of 2001[two thousand and one years) from the time of the Primal Point, as is laid down in the Bayan.
Baha's interpretation of Mustaqath in his own handwriting
Copy of the above document transcribed by Baha's son Mirza Muhammad Ali
After his pretensions of the greatest magnitude on the strength of his own interpretation of the word Mustaghath as meaning “nine or nineteen years” on which he had based his claim to be Him Whom God Shall Manifest or Him Who Shall Appear, foretold by the Primal Point, Baha in what may be termed his swan-song harked back to the words Ghiyath & Mustaghath and construed them in their true meaning. This new construction superseded his earlier interpretation of the word Mustaghath on which the author of the Dawn-Breakers, Nabil’s Narrative, waxed so eloquent. For obvious reasons not far top seek, Shoghi Effendi translated into English of the Dawn-Breakers, failed to insert a footnote to the effect that earlier interpretation had now become null and void in the light of Baha’s new construction.
Unfortunately, neither Prof. Browne nor A.L. Nicholas had access to this document of such historical importance.
Only Unitarians, namely, partisans of Baha’s son Mirza Muhammad Ali, have revealed the existence of this document wherewith to belabour and rebut Abdul Baha’s pretensions and their disclosure was intended for strictly private circulation.
The covenant-keepers, namely, Abdul Bahaists have completely suppressed the document as it prejudices Abdul Baha’s claim “to have covered the space of one thousand years by single foot step”, the deadline fixed by Baha for the One due to appear in his name. PP. 3-4, Ibn-al-Baha Badiullah’s memoirs.
No Oriental Bahai, Unitarian or Covenant-keeper, is aware of the significance of the document.
As for Western Bahais, they grope in the dark as they have no direct access to Baha’s writings in Persian or Arabic except to such material as it is served to them dictated by considerations of expediency.
Quotations from this document appear in Ibn-al-Baha Badiullah’s Will and Testament, in Baha’s son Muhammad Ali’s Will and Testament, and in Risala-i-Janab-i Jud. All this literature emanated from the Unitarians or non-Abdul Bahaists.
The document is considered to be Baha’s swang-song. In it, Baha admits the true meaning of the words Ghiyath and Mustaghath as meaning that more than a thousand, and probably either 1511 or 2001 years (represented by the sum of the letters in the words Ghiyath and Mustaghath) must elapse between the time of the Primal Point and the advent of Him Whom God Shall Manifest, as conceived by the Point and as is laid down in the Bayan. While admitting the true meaning of these words, Baha in the document speaks of them as applying to his own manifestation.
The relevant passage in the tablet runs as follows:
“This is what was sent down the empyrean of Eternity, and in it is made plain the station, wherein the Beauty of god is established upon the throne of great name, and He it is the promised One in all the tablets under whatever name [be He], if you be of the knowing ones. And He was named in the Bayan, and in truth He shall appear in the Mustaghath with Manifest Power”.
"Say: by God, this is a day, the like of which the eyes of the universe have not gazed upon, how much the eyes of these, the veiled ones."
"Great, therefore, is the blessedness of him who on that day attains unto the presence of God with inflexible humility, and reads this tablet standing before the throne for the divine ears to hear the songs which were revealed between the heavens and earths, and by this, mention is made of this name in the text, which god has sanctified from mention of the worlds."
"Verily we have meant by what is mentioned in this tablet naught else my person which oversees the worlds."
"Whoever expects a [new] dispensation after me, verily he shall be among the lost."
"And He who that may appear after a thousand [years] shall in truth be speaking in my name."
"And in the Mustaghath shall come He who shall testify for me that in truth I am God, the Lord of the heavens and the Earths."
In his swan-song Baha refers to the Promised One with whom he asserts identity and goes on to say: “He [i.e. the Promised One] was called in the Bayan He Who Shall Appear and verily He shall appear in Mustaghath [i.e. 2001 years hence reckoning from the time of the Primal Point] … whosoever expects a manifestation after me, verily he is of the lost, and verily He who shall appear after one thousand years [i.e. Ghiyath] shall speak in my name. And in Mustaghath [i.e. 2001 years hence reckoning from the time of the Primal Point] there shall appear him who will bear witness to me that verily I am the Lord of the heavens and earth …”
In the document, “after the Branches, [i.e., Baha’s sons,] followers are commanded to show honour to the presence [i.e. Baha’s amanuensis Mirza Aqa Jan of Kashan, pp. 15-20 section 3.2.1] who stands before the throne [i.e. of Baha] in a laudable station ..”
In the document Baha at long last committed and accepted the true meaning of the words Ghiyath and Mustaghath in terms of their numerical value as conceived by the Primal Point and as is laid down in the Bayan, with this difference that he appropriated them for his own claim.
In the document stress is laid on the word Mustaghath and “the document itself,” in the authoritative opinion of prominent BÂBis who have had access to the document, “analysed from the angle of Baha’s manifestation, exposes and condemns Baha as a pretender and interloper who has intruded into the interval which must elapse between the time of the Primal Point and the advent of Him Whom God Shall Manifest, the Promised One of the Bayan.”
“How does Baha come into the picture as Him Whom God Shall Manifest of the Bayan, on the strength of this belated admission?” is the question posed by other prominent Bayanis.