nder." We are here reminded of St. Paul of the early Christian Church who employed, Bahailike, similar tactics to fleece people into the fold of Christianity. In his Epistle, to the Galatians (New Testament), chapter 9, verse 20, Paul wrote. "And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law." It is now abundantly clear that the Bahais conceaJ their faith on principle, in order to be able to draw wool over the eyes of the people. Their preposterous claim, on the one side, that Bahaullah's law has abrogated the law of Islam, and, on the other side, their mysterious concealment of that new law, leads
9 us to the inevitable conclusion that the Bahaia themselves are conscious of the worthlessness and frivolity of their absurd claim. The Bahai creed which is an off shoot of the Shia sect, is wrapped up in obscuremystery. In order to be able to make way into its interior, a knowledge about thegenessi, growth and development of this movemen t seems necessary. The Shias believein twelve Imams beginning with Ali and ending with Muhammad, son of Hasan Askari. They also believe that whereas the first eleven Imams died, the twelfth disappeared in the year 260 A. H. to reappear on this earth sometime before the Day of Judgement. Furthermore, they believe that their spiritual head is the intermediary, the Bab which means a gates through whom communication is carried on with the hidden Imam. The Bab was looked upon with extreme reverence, and his authority could not be quesbionvd. In 1260 A. H. one Mirza Ali Muhammad claimed to be the Bab. At first he and his followers adhered to the teaching and tenets or Islam; and he wrote commentaries on some chapters of the Holy Quran, and even undertook a pilgrimage to Makka. But, later on, he took a higher jump, and claimed to be the-
10 'hidden Imam himself, who was popularly called Imam Mahdi. Political predominance and world conquest being the prime purpose of this movement, the Persian Government was -obliged to take action. Mirza. Ali Muhammad, the Bah, was apprehended for his plan to create an armed revolution in Persia. He recanted and apologized three times, the last being in his own hand writing ar..d seal, w h ioh has been published by Prof. Browne in his "Material for the study of the Babi Religion", along with its translation. The Bah, however, did not stick to these recantations. Very likely they were made in accordance with the doctr ine of taqiy ya. The Babi movement was not a peaceful religious movement. According to them, all the Muslims who believed not in the Bab, should be put to the sword and annihilated. The famous Babi leader SyeJ Yahya Darabi used "to say that he would slay even his own father with his own hands if he should refuse to accept the Bab. They were too anxious to bring about a political revolution in Persia, and rose in armed revolt against that Government four times during less than two years. The Babis cherished the happy belief that the Bab would -overco me and overthrow his enemies. He had
assured them that ten Babis would be enough to overthrow a thousand of the enemy. The Babis played such a dangerous revolutionary role in Persia that the Government was obliged to take the final step, and give orders for the execution of the Bab. He was put to death on the 8th July 1850; and with him closed the first chapter of the movement in utter frustration and failure. The Bab-oum-Mahdi was writing a book, The Bayan, which he left unfinished on account of his execution. Mirza Jani, a well- known Babi historian writes: "The substance of the commandments of the religion of the Qaim (i.e, Imam Mahdi), on whom be peace, is the commandment of unity, viz, that all property is the property of His Holiness, and all the men are the slaves of His Holiness, and all the women are the handmaidens of His Holiness. He may give to anyone that which he chooses and he may take from anyone that which he desires, in accordance with the verse, 0 God, Lord of the Kingdom, Thou g