Claim and Annunciation

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The book Claim and Annunciation is a collection of five other revelation texts by Baha'u'llah , the founder of the Baha'i religion . These are the German translations of the Sura from the Temple, the Sura to the Ruler, the Tablet to the Ruler, the Tablet of Fu'ád and the Sura to the Kings.

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Súratu'l-Haykal ("Surah of the Temple")

In this sura, among other things, the symbolic meaning of the four letters of the Arabic word for temple, Haykal , is explained and it is stated that this temple was already foretold in the book. This means Zechariah 8 : 9. This temple does not mean a house of devotion , but a living temple, namely Baha'u'llah himself. As no specific addressee of the sura is given, Baha'u'llah explained on request that he addressed this sura to himself . The sura begins with praise to God and thanks to him for this new revelation. Baha'u'llah metaphorically describes how God's call came to him, rejects the Babi's objections to the new revelation, calls on them to recognize him as the one promised by Bab and describes the betrayal of Subh-i-Azal . Baha'u'llah then announces the formation of a new people of God, whose tasks and activities are pictorially depicted as "eyes", "ears", "tongue", "feet", "chest" and "heart" of this temple. With the request to form a new congregation, he warns the Baha'i against pride, against the splendor of leadership, against false piety and against denying the future manifestation. Baha'u'llah first revealed this text in Edirne and again after his arrival (August 31, 1868) in Acre . In this version he integrated his messages to the individual rulers - to Pope Pius IX. , the second message to Emperor Napoléon III. , to Tsar Alexander II , to Queen Victoria and to Nāser ad-Din Shah . Baha'u'llah had this second version written down shortly after its completion in the form of a pentagram symbolizing the temple of man. The head and the four extremities formed the letters to the rulers.

Lawh-i-Pap (plaque to the Pope)

This is the letter to Pope Pius IX. meant, which was revealed in 1869 in Acre in Arabic. Baha'u'llah clearly states his claim to be the second coming of Christ, draws parallels between the attitude of the Pharisees towards Jesus Christ and his own persecution, addresses progressive revelation and theological principles such as the day of God and the covenant of God and exhorts the Pope to turn joyfully to the kingdom of God and not only to drink from the "cup of life" himself, but also to offer it to susceptible souls of all religions, calls on the Pope to leave his palaces to those who desire his riches to sell ornate church decorations and to hand over his kingdom to the kings and to exhort him to exhort the kings to deal justly with the people.

The tablet is ostensibly addressed to the Pope, but it is also addressed to the peoples of the earth, clergy, monks, scholars, bishops and believers of all religions (especially Christians). There are therefore also references to the Koran when, for example, the day of judgment is mentioned. The Pope, who was asked to hand over his kingdom to the kings, was still the secular head of the Papal States, which encompassed a large part of northern Italy, including Rome. In 1870, shortly after the Pope had received the missive, Pius IX. However, hoist the white flag over St. Peter's Basilica, the end of the Papal States came and the city of Rome, over which the popes had ruled for ten centuries with undisputed right, became the seat of the new Kingdom of Italy .

Lawh-i-Nápulyun-II (Second panel on Napoléon III)

The second panel on Napoléon III. was revealed in Arabic and translated in 1869 by the French chargé d'affaires in Acre (Louis Catafago) and transmitted to the emperor. Large parts of this table are contained in the gleaning and are revealed again in the letter to the son of the wolf . Baha'u'llah describes in the board the suffering he and his companions had to endure, his mission and his level, warns the emperor that pride and arrogance prevent him from caring for the poor and abandoned, recommends him to give up all wealth, Denounces the monarch's insincerity for throwing aside the first tablet and prophesies that his kingdom would be thrown into confusion, that rule would slip out of his hands, and that if he did not rise, the people of his land would be engulfed in turmoil to support the cause of God. Baha'u'llah asks him to teach his cause and names the basic ethical requirements for this. Napoleon and the Christian clergy are warned against committing the same mistake as the Pharisees once did when Jesus came and calls on monks and priests to leave the churches and convents, to start families and to renounce asceticism and traditional food prohibitions. Reference is made to the nineteen-day fasting period, the Ridvan festival and the birthdays of the Bab and Baha'u'llah from the Baha'i calendar . The emperor ignored these warnings and so the prophecies were fulfilled within a short time. The emperor was captured at the Battle of Sedan (September 2, 1870) and deposed two days later with the proclamation of the Third Republic. He died in exile in England. Deeply moved by the fulfillment of this prophecy, Caesar Catafago, the son of the chargé d'affaires mentioned above, became a Baha'i.

Lawh-i-Malik-i-Rús (plaque to Tsar Alexander II.)

According to this tablet, which was revealed in Arabic in Acre, God ordained a special rank for the tsar because one of his envoys offered Baha'u'llah help when he was chained and chained in prison in Tehran. In this table, which is also quoted in the letter to the son of the wolf , the tsar is warned not to forfeit this rank, is warned that his rule will not keep him away from him, the highest ruler, and is warned that his desires do not prevent him from turning to the face of his Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Baha'u'llah identifies himself as Heavenly Father and the one whom Isaiah's tongue extolled and with whose name the Torah and Gospel were adorned. Baha'u'llah describes his message on the board and calls on the tsar to proclaim it and to call the people to God. In a small passage Baha'u'llah reveals that the Tsar's silent prayer was heard by God. The content of this prayer is not described.

Lawh-i-Malikih (plaque to Queen Victoria)

This tablet is in Arabic and is partly translated in the Gleaning and was partly revealed again in the Letter to the Son of the Wolf . Baha'u'llah affirms in this tablet that everything that is proclaimed in the gospel has been fulfilled, calls on the queen to turn to his cause, praises her for having banned the slave trade (Baha'u'llah forbade this in Kitab-i-Aqdas ) and that she has placed the reins of the deliberation in the hands of the representatives of the people, and presents the ethical requirements and attitudes on the part of the parliamentarians. The parliamentarians should not represent the particular interests of their voters nor the national interests of their states, but see themselves “as representatives of all”, “who dwell on earth” and judge among them with just judgment. Baha'u'llah understands the world as a whole organism, all parts of which are interdependent and have been afflicted by serious disorders and diseases. Baha'u'llah sees “the union of all peoples in one all-embracing cause, in a common belief” as the most effective medicine. Baha'u'llah scourges the rulers of his time who prevented him from using this medicine. Since this "Greatest Peace" was rejected, Baha'u'llah calls on the kings of the earth to adhere firmly to the "Lesser Peace", including a fundamental reconciliation of states, general disarmament and the reduction of the armed forces to a pure defense army as well a collective security system belongs. In addition, Baha'u'llah calls on the kings not to impose unbearable burdens on their subjects and to grant refugees a right of asylum. The text ends with a revealed prayer for Queen Victoria.

Lawh-i-Sultán (plaque on Shah Nasreddin)

Baha'u'llah revealed this tablet shortly before he left Adrianople (August 12, 1868). It was only brought from Akkon to Tehran on foot by seventeen-year-old Áqá Buzurg-i-Níshápúrí, who was given the honorary name Badi ' (“wonderful”) by Baha'u'llah . After the four-month journey, he personally presented the tablet to the Shah. About half of the missive is revealed in Arabic, the other half in Persian. The Shah instructed the Mujtahids of Tehran to answer the missive. However, they circumvented this order and recommended killing the bearer for it. Badi 'died a painful martyr's death in July 1869 and was nicknamed "the pride of the martyrs" by Bahá`u`llah.

With over 43 printed pages, the Lawh-i-Sultan is the most extensive letter to a monarch. In it Baha'u'llah metaphorically describes how God's call came to him, describes his own sufferings and those of his followers, refutes allegations against him and his community and calls on the Shah to justice. Baha'u'llah points out that in every community there are learned and foolish, wise and heedless, pious and vicious, and warns that it is against the Shah's righteousness for the crime of an individual to a whole group of people subject to the scourge of anger. In addition, the Shah is asked to examine all questions personally and impartially and not to be satisfied with the baseless claims of a few. Baha'u'llah mentions clergymen and scholars in this connection and argues with verse 6 of the 49th sura , according to which statements of wrongdoers have to be checked immediately, and with a hadith which is ascribed to the eleventh Imam Hasan al-Askari the clergy will be the most wicked on Judgment Day, points to Jesus and Muhammad, who also suffered from the clergy and scholars, and again revealed four Hidden Words on the subject. In doing so, he also argues for the progressive revelation .

Nonetheless, Baha'u'llah suggests a meeting with the clergy to testify and provide evidence in the presence of the Shah. This meeting never took place. The concept of holy war is discussed and rejected in detail, and all forms of violence and strife for God are categorically rejected. Baha'u'llah vividly demonstrates the impermanence and futility of earthly power, of prestige, fame and fortune.

Súratu'r-Ra'ís ("Sura to the ruler")

With Ra'ís (Arabic head, leader, ruler) Baha'u'llah addresses himself in the 1st part of this sura revealed in Arabic to the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire Mehmed Emin Ali Pasha , where he mercilessly exposes his abuse of power, commands him Voice of God to heed and prophesies that Edirne will slip out of the hands of the ruler and blood will flow everywhere. Baha'u'llah left Edirne on August 12, 1868 because he was further exiled to Acre . The revelation of this sura began shortly afterwards in the village of Káshánih. It was completed in Gyáwur-Kyuy on the way to Gallipoli . The prophecy came true, as Abdülaziz lost both his throne and his life in 1876 and Edirne was occupied by the enemy ( Russo-Ottoman War ), who wreaked havoc among the Turkish population. In the second part of the Sura Baha'u'llah spent with kind and appreciative words to the outstanding Persian teachers of the faith Pilgrimage Holiday Muhammad Siyyid Isma'il-i-Kashani, who there Dhabih (Arabic for "the victim") or Anís (Arabic "Companion") is called. Baha'u'llah declared that when the soldiers were guarding his house in Edirne, he was in a state of immeasurable joy and happiness, for nothing in his eyes is more deserving than martyrdom in the path of God. Baha'u'llah also uses other examples to make this clear and confirm that visitations work as oil for the lamp of God's cause. The sura was revealed in honor of Dhabíh. In response to a question from Dhabí, Baha'u'llah describes the nature of the rational soul.

Lawh-i-Ra'ís ("Tablet to the ruler")

This second letter from Baha'u'llah to Mehmed Emin Ali Pasha was revealed in Persian shortly after his arrival (August 31, 1868) in Acre . Among other things, it describes the sufferings that Baha'u'llah, his companions and especially the women and children accompanying him were exposed to during the journey from Edirne to Acre and in the prison there. Because of the condition of the children and the large number of women, Baha'u'llah asked an officer to ask the Sultan to allow this prisoner to talk for ten minutes. Baha'u'llah assures that the sighs of these children and the cries of these oppressed ones will have their consequences. He points out a conflagration in Istanbul and the outbreak of the plague, which the addressee ignored. Using a puppet show that Baha'u'llah saw as a child, he made it clear to the addressee not to boast about the things of this world and instead asked him to listen to the words of God. Baha'u'llah warns that this world is full of error and deception and in this context cites a warning by the Persian poet Majdud-i-Adam-i-Ghaznawi. Baha'u'llah also prophesies that neither his own humiliation nor the glory of the Pasha will last.

Lawh Fu'ád ("Tablet of Fu'ád")

This plaque is named after the Ottoman statesman Mehmed Fuad Pascha , whom Baha'u'llah describes as the "instigator" for his exile to Acre . In this table, which is only five printed pages long, Baha'u'llah describes the circumstances of the death of this statesman by means of the metaphors of “judgment” and “hell” and thereby makes clear the futility of earthly power and wealth, as well as the despair in the face of one's own deeds and the desperate desire to repent and make reparation. The statesman died in Nice in February 1869 . The letter was revealed in Arabic shortly after his death in Acre and is addressed to the Persian Baha'i Sheikh Kazim-i-Samandar (1844–1918) from Qazvin . It also predicts the imminent overthrow of the Ottoman statesman Mehmed Emin Ali Pasha and the Sultan Abdülaziz . These prophecies circulated widely, and their dramatic fulfillment added much to the reputation of Baha'u'llah. This is why Mirza Abu'l-Fadl converted to the Baha'i faith. The plaque also tells the fate of Mirza Mihdiy-i-Rashti, a judge in Constantinople and partisan of Subh-i-Azal .

Súratu'l-Mulúk ("Surah to the Kings")

This sura was revealed in Arabic by Baha'u'llah in Adrianople and is primarily addressed to the whole of the kings. Longer parts of this missive have already been reproduced in the crop harvest . Shoghi Effendi states that the sura was revealed almost immediately after the "greatest separation," the retreat of Baha'u'llah to Ridá Big's house on March 10, 1866. Other sources date the letter to the year 1867. In the letter, Baha'u'llah gives numerous recommendations that can be interpreted as the basic principles of an ethic of rule. At the same time, Baha'u'llah warns against overestimating oneself and overestimating earthly property and power.

Baha'u'llah rebukes the kings in the sura for disregarding the message of the Bab, explains the essence of his mission, as well as the standard of justice to which any exercise of power must meet and recommends, among other things, disarmament and the Reduction of the financial burdens for the subjects.

The kings of Christendom received a special reprimand because they delighted themselves with games and trinkets instead of paying attention to Jesus' statement about his return. The only individually addressed monarch is the Turkish Sultan Abdülaziz , on whose decree Baha'u'llah was set in Edirne and later in Acre. Baha'u'llah reprimands the Sultan for entrusting his affairs to ministers who are neither trustworthy nor godly, gives the Sultan advice and describes the humiliations he had to endure on the way from Constantinople to Edirne and in that city.

In addition to kings, other people are also addressed. This is how the Sultan's ministers are reprimanded for their actions.

The residents of Istanbul are exhorted, among other things, to fear God, to follow the advice of Baha'u'llah, to bow down in humility before the true believers, to respect the religious teachers, whose way of life corresponds to their creed, and not to discord among people sow and not burden any soul with a burden that one cannot carry oneself. Although the vast majority of the population are Sunnis , Baha'u'llah extols the virtues and the exalted degree of Hussain ibn ʿAlī (Third Imam of the Shiites ) and describes his sacrificial death. His martyrdom is of central importance for the Shiites, similar to that of Christ's death on the cross for the Christians.

A considerable part of the sura is addressed to the Shah's envoy in Constantinople . This is the Pilgrimage Holiday Mirza Husayn Khan Mushíru`d-Dawlih consisting of Qazvin comes. In the sura, as a representative of his country, he is severely criticized for all the persecutions and sufferings with which the Persian believers have been showered, but above all for the execution of the Báb. At the time of the revelation of this sura, the envoy had already successfully campaigned for the banishment of Baha'u'llah from Baghdad to Istanbul and from there to Edirne . One paragraph also criticizes the Persian consul general in Baghdad, Mirzá Buzurg Khán-i-Qazvíní, who played the main role in the banishment of Baha'u'llah to Istanbul. In this paragraph the envoy is accused of failing to investigate the consul general's letter allegations against Baha'u'llah.

Addressing the Persian people, Baha'u'llah assures that if they killed him too, God would surely raise another in his place.

The French ambassador in Constantinople is accused of ignoring the gospel of John and of conspiring with the Persian ambassador against Baha'u'llah without investigating his case.

The whole of the spiritual leaders of Sunni Islam in Constantinople are described in the sura as spiritually dead and haughty. They are accused of worshiping names, not going to the presence of Baha'u'llah, not researching his cause, and not learning about his situation.

Baha'u'llah exhorts the wise men of Constantinople and the philosophers of the world not to be proud of their knowledge and rebukes them for failing to seek his presence; for the essence of wisdom is to fear God, to know him and to acknowledge his manifestation.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ulrich Gollmer: Contributions to the Irfán Colloquium 2006 . Bahai-Verlag, Hofheim 2007, ISBN 978-3-87037-458-7 , p. 35-38 .
  2. ↑ Nicola Towfigh: "Surrender your kingdom to the kings" in contributions to the Irfán Colloquium 2006 . Bahai-Verlag, Hofheim 2007, ISBN 978-3-87037-458-7 , p. 73-80 .
  3. ↑ Hasan Balyuzi : The King of Glory . Ed .: George Ronald. Oxford 1980, ISBN 0-85398-090-X , pp. 320 .
  4. ^ Adib Taherzadeh: The Revelation of Baha'u'lláh (Volume 3) . Ed .: George Ronald. Oxford 1983, ISBN 0-85398-143-4 , pp. 110-115 .
  5. ^ Adib Taherzadeh: The Revelation of Baha'u'lláh (Volume 3) . Ed .: George Ronald. Oxford 1983, ISBN 0-85398-143-4 , pp. 123-132 .
  6. ↑ Shoghi Effendi: God is passing . Bahai-Verlag, Hofheim-Langenhain 1974, ISBN 3-87037-021-1 ( online - verse = 12: 5).
  7. ^ Adib Taherzadeh: The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh (Volume 3) . Ed .: George Ronald. ISBN 0-85398-143-4 , pp. 174-203 .
  8. ↑ Adib Taherzadeh: The Revelation of Baha'u'lláh (Volume 2) . Bahai-Verlag, Hofheim-Langenhain 1987, ISBN 3-87037-194-3 , p. 405-439 .
  9. ↑ a b Shoghi Effendi: God is passing . Bahai-Verlag, Hofheim-Langenhain 1974, ISBN 3-87037-021-1 , p. 195 ( online ).
  10. ↑ Shoghi Effendi: God is passing . Bahai-Verlag, Hofheim-Langenhain 1974, ISBN 3-87037-021-1 , p. 264 ( online ).
  11. ↑ Hasan Balyuzi : Eminent Bahais in the Time of Baha'u'llah . Ed .: George Ronald. Oxford 1985, ISBN 0-85398-152-3 , pp. 191 ff .
  12. ↑ Adib Taherzadeh: The Revelation of Baha'u'llah (Volume 2) . Bahai-Verlag, Hofheim-Langenhain 1987, ISBN 3-87037-194-3 , p. 443-449 .
  13. ↑ The sufferings list (English)
  14. ^ Bahai World Center Haifa : Table of contents and systematic presentation of the laws and commandments of the Kitab-i-Aqdas . Bahai-Verlag, Hofheim 1987, ISBN 3-87037-181-1 , p. 12 .
  15. ^ Ulrich Gollmer: Contributions to the Irfán Colloquium 2006 . Bahai-Verlag, Hofheim 2007, ISBN 978-3-87037-458-7 , p. 31-35 .
  16. ↑ Adib Taherzadeh: The Revelation of Baha'u'llah (Volume 2) . Bahai-Verlag, Hofheim-Langenhain 1987, ISBN 3-87037-194-3 , p. 384 .
  17. ↑ Adib Taherzadeh: The Revelation of Baha'u'llah (Volume 2) . Bahai-Verlag, Hofheim-Langenhain 1987, ISBN 3-87037-194-3 , p. 81-91 .

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