On a Question Posed: Are the affairs of the world, especially in our homeland Iran, all in order?
As part of a long, wide-ranging, 13-page thread on an online forum, an Iranian participant asked the question, why did Baha'u'llah reveal the Kitab-i-Aqdas in Arabic, arguing that "It makes no sense to have a message be revealed to Persians yet the book be in Arabic, when its messenger is also Persian"?
Here was a Baha'i's' response. -gw
... it matters what the message is and not the language. Language is the means of communication and not an end in itself. As well, I believe people do not fully grasp the composition of the Iranian society in the mid 1900s. The fact of the matter is that the Báb and Baha'u'llah were the first among their contemporaries to write so much in Persian in a society that considered only Arabic esoteric and scholarly. Additionally, there is a large volume of writings in the Baha'i Faith by its founders which are in Persian, not to mention that Baha'i writings have been translated into nearly 1000 languages. What we do with the message is more important than the language.
In the same entry the Baha'i respondent, who is himself Iranian, answered other questions but noted ... -gw
... your references are from enemies of the Baha'i Faith which are not only false but derisive. It would be like quoting from Abu-Jahl about Muhammd and Islam. As the saying goes, it would take one crazy person to throw a stone in the well, but a thousand sane people to retrieve it!
For instance, Baha'u'llah never did come back to Iran after His exile. As well Baha'u'llah cannot be responsible for the actions of His enemies towards Him, just as Muhammad or Christ cannot be responsible for the actions of their enemies against them. Also, Azalies are not a division of the Baha'i Faith since as you mentioned they do not believe in Baha'u'llah. It would be like calling the Jews a division of Christianity! As well, the Báb was the Herald of Baha'u'llah who brought an independent revelation and although Baha'u'llah adopted many of the His teachings, He also changed many and brought another independent revelation.
He concludes with an appeal to his fellow countryman. -gw
In final analysis, I believe this discussion has provided an opportunity to really examine the condition and challenges of Iran and indeed the whole world, and ask ourselves some candid questions. These questions will put things in perspective:
1. Are the affairs of the world, especially our homeland Iran which has been under the influence of Islam for many centuries, all in order?
2. What are the challenges, what are the available options and what can be done to improve people's fortunes?
3. What has Islam done for the people and what will its role be going forward?
4. What can we as individuals do to contribute to the betterment of life in our homeland and in the world in general?
Photo: Uploaded on September 17, 2007 by mohammadali on flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
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