From the early years of its
late 19th century introduction and subsequent development in the West,
the proponents of the emergent Bahā'ī religion inspired its then
charismatic head, `Abd al-Bahā' `Abbās (d. 1921), emphasized both
messianic fulfillment in Baha'-Allah (1817-1892) its founder prophet and
the eternal continuance of divinely ordained religion. Jesus the
Galilean messiah and "Son of God" was not the last divine figure to
appear on earth neither was the prophet Muhammad the `last of the
prophets' announcing on behaf of God the historical finality of religion
in traditional Islam.
Basic
Baha'i definition
The phrase "progressive
revelation" and its origins in Christian thought.
19th century
Christian Dispensationalism
The basics of
the Baha'i teaching of "Progressive Revelation" were articulated in a
large number of books, pamphlets and related publications produced from
the 1890s in North America, Europe and elsewhere.
Kheiralla
John E.
Esslemont in his Baha'u'llah and the New Era
In 19XX the
British Baha'i John Ferraby (
) wrote his widely circulated and influential XX page pamphlet
`Progressive Revelation"
Jewish and Christian
Logos
spermatikos
The Islamic background
That
religions succeed and fulfill one another is implicit in the Qur'an.
Isma'ili
cyclic theories
Dabistan-i
Mazahib --add
Nuqtavis..
A
particularly clear expression of nature and genesis of religions is
found in the writings of Shah Wali-Allah Dehlavi (1703-1762).
In his Hujjat-Allah
al-Baligha it is written,
"Prophets were each confronted with different stations and had
to adjust their measures of reform accordingly... for a prophet
it is the best and easiest way to frame religious, civil and
social laws according to the usuage of his own people..
(cited RME 2:129).
Religious renewal and
evolution in al-Shaykhiyya (Shaykhism)
Sayyid Kāẓim
Rashtī has important things to say in this respect in his important and
extensive Arabic Sharḥ al-Qaṣida al-lāmiyya (Commentary on the
Qaṣida [rhyming in the] Letter "L" )
