Rani

Have a question: If Muhummad was the Seal of the Prophets, and the Prophetic Cycle has ended, why do Baha'is sometimes still refer to Baha'u'llah as a Prophet or the Prophet-founder? - unless I'm mistaken.
Pls forgive my need for learning in this matter.

I have met a couple of people lately, who although not Muslim, and not being a member of any religion, accept His Revelation and accept it as the last revealed one. How do we get past that term 'Seal of the Prophets'?



At one point, I read that we're now in the Cycle of Fulfillment, and that the Prophetic Cycle has ended, but in another that the Bab has an inaugurated a 'great universal prophetic cycle'.

'It should be remembered, however, that apart from the miracle associated with the Báb's execution, He, unlike the Founder of the Christian religion, is not only to be regarded as the independent Author of a divinely revealed Dispensation, but must also be recognized as the Herald of a new Era and the Inaugurator of a great universal prophetic cycle.'
(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 57)

Also, I wonder why God allows confusion that springs from differences in religion when all have issued from Him. The example I wish to give is that Muslims believe you should not pray to Muhummad but only to God. Baha'is and Christians I believe can pray to both God and the Manifestation.

I think this is a sticking point for many muslims. Why would God say to pray only to Him in one Revelation, but recommend praying through the Manifestation in another?
Is it purely to create veils and tests?

I understand this has probably been talked about in another thread. Feel free to refer me if you wish.

Rani

Tried to remove this as I raised the q on another site, but was unable to.

InvestigateTruth

I think most of the things that causes people to be confused, is not part of original teachings of Quran or Jesus. Basically their messages got distorted gradually, and people made up their own interpretations. Otherwise the Message of God is clear as the Sun. He is not the Author of Confusion. It's people who confuse themselves, by false and idle imagination, and man-made doctrines.

tonyfish58

Yes Good Questions

Basically the age of prophesy about the Promised Day of God ended with the coming of the Bab and the age of Fulfillment of those prophesies began, thus Muhammad was the last or the Seal of the Prophets that foretold of this Day & the Bab ushered in the Era of fulfillment.

The Cycle of Baha'ullah which will last a very long time has fulfilled all the former prophesies about the "Promised One" and further promises that mankind will become One fold under One Shepherd even though they rejected the "Most Great Peace". There are still things that are subject to prophesy in this age of fulfillment, thus the Manifestations of God for this age can & are also known as prophets.

Regards Tony

Sen McGlinn

"Seal" does not mean last. A seal was a small object, or a ring, used to authentic a document or a person. For example, a businessman might give his seal to his agent, giving him authority to make a contract on his behalf. Or the seal is pressed into hot wax on a document, to say that the "sealer" approves it. Muhammad stands out among the Manifestations as the one who gave us the most accounts of the prophets who had gone before him: he puts the stamp of authenticity and approval on the prophets.

LordOfGoblins

I think it is 'last' as in "I am the first and the last the beginging and the end", not last as in "after me no prophet will come..."
so that amounts to confusion amongst people.
Admitedly a muslim is unlikely to accept an explanation such as above it seems.
Perhaps just quote them Baha'u'llah from the Iqan.

BruceDLimber

Here's your answer, Rani:

Muslims often interpret the Qur'an as stating that Muhammad, being the Seal of the Prophets, is the final prophet and that there will be no more Divine Messengers sent by God (or Allah).

In fact, IOV this whole “last prophet” thing is based upon a misunderstanding!

There are in fact several different explanations of the verse in the Qur’an saying Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets (a statement we Baha’is accept, please note!):

• First off, there is a sense in which EVERY Divine Messenger is the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, and the Seal!

• Next, there are multiple Arabic words that all translate into English as "prophet."

One of these is "nabi," which refers to a minor prophet such as Jeremiah or Amos.

Another is Ras'ul, which means a major, religion-founding Divine Messenger like Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, or Baha'u'llah (our Founder). (And yes, Muhammad was a major--not a minor--Prophet.)

But the word actually used in the Qur'an is "nabi," meaning Muhammad was the Seal of the minor prophets! This says nothing whatever about the great Divine Messengers.

• Muhammad is also the Seal in the sense that He was the last Messenger during the Prophetic Age, which began with Adam and ended with Him. The Bab then closed out that Age and opened the Age of Fulfillment, of which Baha'u'llah is the first major Messenger.

• Finally, there is a sense in which the word commonly translated as "seal" also means "ornament," so that this verse of the Qur'an may simply be saying that Muhammad is the Ornament of the prophets! (Nothing whatever about any sort of finish.)
Peace, :-)

Bruce

InvestigateTruth

If Muhammad is the Last Messenger and His revelation is the final, then why Christ and Mahdi were promised?
Many Moslems say, they would come but they would not reveal a new Book, but only teach Islam.

Well, in one sense it is True that, Christ and Mahdi Figures were promised to renew Islam, in a sense to renew Spiritual Truths that are forgotten and to teach the True Islam. But to say they would not reveal a new Book, is fundamentally False, because firstly, it is clear that the Laws of Islam are not practical for our Age. Moreover, No one can put limit on God and His Messengers to say they cannot bring new teachings and new Laws.
According to Islamic Hadithes, Mahdi would come with a New Book. According to Bible Christ would make All things New, that must include bringing new Laws. According to Quran, a New Book is to be open on the Day of Resurrection.

What is interesting to me is that how people in every Age liked to say their religion is the last one.

aji

Really great conversation here guys! A pleasure to read..

Rani

Thank you for all your responses so far, and Bruce, you have explained it well too!!

Someone on the other page that I posted the question on, replied with this also:

'Aiyesha, the wife of Muhammad, corrected someone who referred to Muhammad as the last of the Rasul (what is the plural?), and said "You must never say that Muhammad was the last of the Rasuls. He was the Seal of the nabi.'

So apparently Muhummad (as well as being a major Prophet- a Rasul ) also had to fill the role of "Warner", i.e. "nabi". Other nabis included Daniel and Isaiah.


But it's still a little confusing that yes, we are now in the age of Fulfillment and the Prophetic cycle has ended; but in another passage it says that the Bab has an 'inaugurated a great universal prophetic cycle'. (see quote below).

So, it's the end of one Prophetic Cycle and the beginning of another? As well as it being the Cycle of Fulfilment?

Tony I think has tried to explain it to me above, and I will meditate on it; but I think it is easy (for me) to see why people of all religious faiths get confused. ;-


'It should be remembered, however, that apart from the miracle associated with the Báb's execution, He, unlike the Founder of the Christian religion, is not only to be regarded as the independent Author of a divinely revealed Dispensation, but must also be recognized as the Herald of a new Era and the Inaugurator of a great universal prophetic cycle.'
(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 57)

Rani

InvestigateTruth, Forgive me but I don't understand your post properly.. I mean, why you say that Christ was promised (by Muhammad) when Jesus Christ came before Muhammad.
Or are you talking about a Christ-figure, as in Manifestation, and not Jesus Christ?

arthra

There are some excellent essays on the Baha'i view of "Seal of the Prophets":

A Bahá'í Approach to the Claim of Finality in Islam

Personal Interpretation of the term 'Seal of the Prophets'

He gives "Six Meanings Associated with the Terms Seal of Prophets and Messengers".

Also see my earlier thread on the subject

Use of the term "Seal" in scriptures..