Sabeans
 | This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Bahaipedia's quality standards. |
 | This article does not cite any sources; the information may not be accurate or reliable. |
Very little of real substance is known of the Sabeans. The religion referred to as "Sabeanism" became "widespread and flourished ...[in] Chaldea", according to the Guardian. He also states that "Abraham is considered as having been a follower of that Faith".[1] It is presumed that the name of the Revelator has been lost. The Guardian also regarded Sabeanism as one of the nine extant religions.
Two quite different groups of people in modern times refer to themselves as Sabeans. The Mandaeans, locally present in the area around Baghdad, call themselves Sabeans. Many of these have been forced to flee Iraq during the early twenty-first century, due to violent persecution. The actual origins of the Mandaean belief are unclear, and they regard themselves as followers of John the Baptist. In northern Iraq, the Yazidis also claim to be Sabeans. Their religion seems to be a syncretistic amalgam of Zoroastrian, Pagan and Christian elements. However, the Qur'án makes allowances for toleration of the "People of the Book", and it is quite clear that the Sabeans fell into that category, (implying that they had a revealed Scripture). By identifying themselves with the ancient Sabean religion, both modern groups were theoretically protected from persecution by Muslims.
A further confusion is caused by the existence of two separate geographical areas in the wider Middle East, both of which have carried the name Sheba, and people have frequently been tempted to tie the Sabean religion in with one or the other of these two kingdoms.
Notes[edit]
- ↑ Letter written on behalf of the Guardian, 1939. Quoted in "Lights of Guidance", page 503.
