Prophets

And now regarding thy question, 'How is it that no records are to be found concerning the Prophets that have preceded Adam, the Father of Mankind, or of any reference to them is no proof that they did not actually exist. That no records concerning them are now available, should be attributed to their extreme remoteness, as well as to the vast changes which the earth hath undergone since their time.

Man, therefore, on the plane of the contingent beings is the most perfect being. By man is meant the perfect individual, who is like unto a mirror in which the Divine perfections are manifested and reflected. But the sun does not condescend from the height of its sanctity to enter into the mirror, but when the latter is purified and turned towards the Sun of Truth, the perfections of this Sun, consisting of light and heat, are reflected and manifested in that mirror. These souls are the Divine Manifestations of God.

Thou hast written regarding Buddha and Confucius. Buddha was an illustrious personage. Confucius became the cause of civilization, advancement and prosperity for the people of China. Now it is not the time when we discuss concerning the stations and positions of those who are passed away. We must concentrate our attention upon the present. What hath transpired in a former time is past. Now is the time when we restrict our discussion to the Most Great Luminary of Peace and Salvation in this Age, to talk of the Blessed Perfection [Bahá’u’lláh] and to voice His exhortations, behests and teachings. Buddha and Confucius were kings in bygone ages who have disappeared. Their sovereignty in this world is ended and their cycle is completed. Now the Throne of the Kingdom of ABHA is established and the Blessed Perfection is sitting upon the Throne of Grandeur. We must raise this Call, promulgate the Word of God and live in accord with the teachings and advices of the Beauty of ABHA.

Abraham and Krishna are two separate individuals, with no connection that we know of.

As our teachings do not state Zoroaster is the connecting link between the Euphrates and the Prophets in India we cannot assert this.

As to the religion of the Sabeans very little is known about the origins of this religion, though we Bahá’ís are certain of one thing that the founder of it has been a Divinely-sent Messenger. The country where Sabeanism became widespread and flourished was Chaldea, and Abraham is considered as having been a follower of that Faith.

Confucius was not a Prophet. It is quite correct to say he is the founder of a moral system and a great reformer.

In confirmation of the exalted rank of the true believer, referred to by Bahá’u’lláh, He reveals the following: "The station which he who hath truly recognized this Revelation will attain is the same as the one ordained for such prophets of the house of Israel as are not regarded as Manifestations 'endowed with constancy.'"

In Persian it is impolite not to use the word Hadrat before the name of the Prophet, so that strictly speaking a proper translation should always have 'His Holiness Moses' etc; however, as this seems peculiar in English, and not in the best usage of our language he feels it can be dispensed with. Pronouns referring to the Manifestation, or the Master, should, however, invariably be capitalized.

Joseph Smith we do not consider a Prophet, minor or otherwise. Certainly no references he made would have foretold the coming of the Revelation in his capacity as a Prophet.

Regarding Lao-Tse; the Bahá’ís do not consider him a prophet, or even a secondary prophet or messenger, unlike Buddha or Zoroaster, both of whom were Divinely-appointed and fully independent Manifestations of God.

Regarding your question concerning Joseph Smith and the 'Book of Mormon'; as the Bahá’í Teachings quite clearly outline the succession of Prophets from the days of Christ as being Muhammad, the Báb, and finally Bahá’u’lláh, it is obvious that Joseph Smith is not a Manifestation of God.

Regarding your questions: We cannot possibly add names of people we (or anyone else) think might Lesser Prophets to those found in the Qur'án, the Bible and our own Scriptures. For only these can we consider authentic Books.

The Buddha was a Manifestation of God, like Christ, but His followers do not possess His authentic writings.

The David referred to by the Báb, and stated by Him to have preceded Moses, is not the same one as King David, the father of King Solomon, who lived in the tenth century B.C. and who obviously lived many years, and indeed many centuries after Moses.

The Manifestations no doubt had some consciousness of Their station, but what the nature of that consciousness was we do not know.

The only reason there is not more mention of the Asiatic prophets is because their names seem to be lost in the mists of ancient history. Buddha is mentioned and Zoroaster in our scriptures -- both non-Jewish prophets or non-semitic prophets. We are taught there always have been Manifestations of God, but we do not have any record of their names.

The origins of this [Hindu Religion] and many other religions that abound in India are not quite known to us and even the Orientalists and the students of religions are not in complete accord about the results of their investigations in that field. The Bahá’í writings also do not refer specifically to any of these forms of religion current in India. So, the Guardian feels it impossible to give you any definite and detailed information on that subject. He would urge you however, to carry on your studies in that field, although its immensity is well-nigh bewildering with the view of bringing the Message to the Hindus.

The Prophets, unlike us, are pre-existent. The Soul of Christ existed in the spiritual world before His birth in this world. We cannot imagine what that world is like, so words are inadequate to picture His state of being.

The teachings bear no reference to any genealogical tie between the Prophets of the Near and Far East.

There are no dates in our teachings regarding the actual dates of the Prophets of the Adamic Cycle, so we cannot give any. Tentatively we can accept what historians may consider accurate. Naturally the dates referring to Muhammad, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh we are sure of.

We find God only through the Intermediary of His Prophet. We see the Perfection of God in His Prophets . . . God is never flesh, but mirrored in the attributes of His Prophets, we see His Divine characteristics and perfections.

We know no more about the prophets mentioned in the Íqán than what Bahá’u’lláh states in that Book.

Your question concerning Brahma and Krishna: such matters, as no reference occurs to them in the Teachings, are left for students of history and religion to resolve and clarify.

Zoroaster was not Abraham; the Muslims, some of them, contend that they were the same, but we believe they were two distinct Prophets. There is a misunderstanding in the reference in 'Bahá’í Proofs,' to this matter.

As for the status of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Faith, he is not considered by Bahá’ís to be a prophet, minor or otherwise. But of course he was a religious teacher sensitive to the spiritual currents flowing in the early 19th century directly from the appearance of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh and the Revelation of Their Messages of hope and Divine Guidance. In this respect you might find chapter ten in the late Hand of the Cause George Townshend's book, 'Christ and Bahá’u’lláh,' interesting.

Concerning your second question referring to a purported Tablet of the Báb text from Báb has been found on this subject. However, Mirza Abu'l-Fadl has stated in his writings that there appeared in Iran many prophets prior to the Dispensation of Zoroaster.

Regarding the beginning of the Zoroastrian era, in one of His Tablets ‘Abdu’l-Bahá states that Zoroaster lived about 750 years after Moses, in a letter to an individual believer the Guardian's secretary wrote on his behalf: 'Zoroaster lived about a thousand years before Christ. There is no exact date in the teachings regarding the beginning of His Dispensation.