Babism

Given the Islamo-Babi matrix for the Baha’i religion, many of the beliefs and practices appear markedly similar in form (if not content) to their Islamic equivalents. I have included a brief section outlining Babi ritual to provide a background for understanding Baha’i doctrines and practices. For a thorough appraisal of the topic, the reader is encouraged to read Rituals in Babism and Baha’ism1 by Denis MacEoin who is the world's foremost expert on Babism.

Babism

Babi shari‘ah never became fully implemented and as such many of the rituals and practices described are based on the ideal outlined in religious texts rather than observation of Babi practice in real life. Initially, Babis strictly observed Islamic shari‘ah with the Bab insisting: “what Muhammad declared lawful (halal) shall remain lawful to the day of resurrection, and what he has declared unlawful (haram) shall remain unlawful until the day of resurrection”.2

However, in 1848 the Bab claimed to be the qa’im and declared that the “resurrection” had come. He thus created a fantastic religious world of rituals and rites which (according to him and his followers) annulled and superseded Islamic shari‘ah. He designed his own azhan and salat and abolished congregational prayer (except for the funeral prayer). He also composed a wide variety of obligatory and supererogatory prayers, fasts and other rituals with corresponding punishments if the believers failed to observe them. To include all the Bab’s instructions here is beyond the scope of the paper, but I have taken the liberty of including a small number from MacEoin’s Rituals to give the reader an inkling of Babi shari‘ah.

• Mention the unity of God nineteen times daily with a fine of nineteen mithqals3 of diamonds intentional neglect; nineteen daily mentions of the Bab with a fine of nineteen mithqals of gold for neglect and daily mentions of other figures with fines for neglect.4

• The Islamic greeting of peace is replaced with allahu akbar5 and allahu a‘zham6 for men, and allahu abha7 and allahu ajmal8 for women. Alternatively the Bab prescribed greeting phrases of allahu akbar and allahu azhhar9 for men and allahu ajmal and allahu a‘azz10 for women.11

• Use of diagrammatic talismans which point to esoteric teachings of the Bab.12 (See Appendix A for a facsimile of one of the Bab’s talismans which the author was given by an Iranian Baha’i).

• Use of rings, engraved stones and tattoos including the instruction that men are to tattoo the word al-rahman13 on their chests and women are to tattoo allahumma14.15

• Destruction (or abrogation) of previously Islamic shrines with new shrines established in their place, including a bayt for the Bab’s tomb made of mirrors. The new ka‘ba is the house of the Bab in Shiraz which was to be rebuilt measuring thirty-six cubits in length and breadth, if possible with a pool of diamonds among other things.16

• Various pilgrimages to Babi holy sites performing ritualistic acts.17

• New purity laws including permission to use and wear gold and silk for men. Ablutions should include the use of a silk cloth for drying.18

• A new calendar based on a solar year with nineteen months of nineteen days (and four or five intercalary days). The Iranian New Year’s Day is to be observed.19

As the reader can see, Babi religious practice is highly ritualised, fantastic and includes instructions almost impossible to fulfil. Baha’is have interpreted this as the Bab signalling a break between the ‘end’ of Islamic shari‘ah and the new shari‘ah that would be given by the promised man yuzhiruhu allah.

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References

1MacEoin, Denis, Rituals in Babism and Baha’ism, (London and New York: British Academic Press-I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd., 1994), vol. 2 of Pembroke Persian Papers, gen. ed. Charles Melville, 3 vols.

2MacEoin, Rituals in Babism and Baha’ism 6.

3A unit of weight which the Bab redefined. Nineteen mithqals is equivalent to 69.192 grammes or 2.22456 troy ounces.

4MacEoin, Rituals in Babism and Baha’ism 12.

5Meaning “God is Most Great”.

6Meaning “God is Most Mighty”.

7Meaning “God is Most Splendid”.

8Meaning “God is Most Beautious”.

9Meaning “God is Most Manifest”.

10Meaning “God is Most Glorious”.

11MacEoin, Rituals in Babism and Baha’ism 14.

12MacEoin, Rituals in Babism and Baha’ism 14-21.

13Meaning “the Most Merciful”.

14Meaning “O God”.

15MacEoin, Rituals in Babism and Baha’ism 24.

16MacEoin, Rituals in Babism and Baha’ism 25.

17MacEoin, Rituals in Babism and Baha’ism 26-27.

18MacEoin, Rituals in Babism and Baha’ism 29.

19MacEoin, Rituals in Babism and Baha’ism 33.

Next > Baha'ism: Beliefs: God & Manifestations