The Babi and Baha'i Religion — Page 1
THE B Ā B Ī AND BAH Ā ’ Ī RELIGION 1 Foreword to the present edition 'The B a b i and Bah a ’ i Religion' is a short but com- prehensive treatise in English on the teachings of Mirz a ‘Al i Muhammad B a b of Shiraz (Iran) and his successor (who later broke away from B a b and introduced his own religion, Bah a ’ i ism) Mirz a H usain ‘Al i Bah a ’ull a h, was compiled by A. Q. Niy a z and published by Wak a lat-e-Tabsh i r, Rabwah, Pakistan, in 1960. It was reprinted in 1967. Because the book deals with a contemporary religious movement—Bah a ’ i ism * —which alleges that it replaces Islam as a world religion and is a quite active evangelical movement, it needs to be looked at with critical but impartial approach as an Islamic response to it. We deem that the treatise in question is an adequate response to the challenge of Bah a ’ i ism to Islam and needs to be reprinted and widely published. The book covers (1) the history of B a b i ism and B a h’ i ism and their basic tenets; (2) the true nature of the claims of B a b and Bah a ’uall a h; (3) a comparison between the Islamic and Bah a ’ i Sharias; and (4) the question why the Qur’an and Islamic Sharia are irreplaceable. * Bah a ’ i ism is an offshoot of B a b i ism—the faith propagated by ‘Al i Muhammad B a b. B a b i ism was itself offshoot of Ithn a ‘Ashariyyah sect of Shiite Islam.