Posted by Rob on June 27, 2101 at 18:45:31:
In Reply to: So who IS the Qaim? And who's the Mahdi? posted by Dawud on June 27, 2101 at 17:35:19:
Dawud,
For a Baha'i understanding of the Qa'im and Mahdi see
SYMBOL AND SECRET:
QUR'AN COMMENTARY IN BAHç'U'LLçH'S KITçB-I êQçN
By
CHRISTOPHER BUCK
This book is posted at this URL and especially see passages at
http://bahai-library.org/books/symbol.secret/2.html:
[p. 59-60]
"As stated, the formal purpose of The Book of Certitude is to vindicate the prophetic credentials of the Báb. The Báb is identified with the eschatological figure known in Sunni Islam as the Mahdi, and known more commonly in Shí'ísm as the Qá'im. In Sunni Islam, the Mahdi (literally, "Guided One") is a restorer who reestablishes a just theocracy under
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[page 60]
Islamic law. In Shí'ísm, the Qá'im (literally, "Riser") is a redresser of wrongs, an avenger. Though in both traditions the Mahdi is to be a descendant of Muhammad, Shí'í tradition is more specific: the Qá'im is the visible return of the Twelfth Imam, who disappeared in year 260 A.H. The Báb identified himself with this figure. Less dramatic than his many other proclamations but explicit as to this specific identification is the Báb's affirmation: "He Who hath revealed the Qur'án unto Muhammad, the Apostle of God, . . . hath likewise revealed the Bay.an.... unto Him Who is your Qá'im, your Guide, your Mahdi."
[p. 62]
"Beyond the "Seal of the Prophets" is uncharted exegetical territory. Bahá'u'lláh opens up a whole new line of interpretation by drawing a simple quranic equation: The Qaim of Islamic tradition is the "presence of God" in the Qur'án. Throughout The Book of Certitude, Bahá'u'lláh consistently identifies the figure of the Qá'im with the quranic "presence of God," in which Gods "presence" (not essence) is incarnated in the person of an eschatological fulfiller whose charisma is the numinosity of God. The latter identification is not exclusive to the Qá'im for good reason, since it equally applies to the messenger foretold by the Báb."
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