Hello new friend ~

Actually you are equating Prophet With Guru , Guru means a TEACHER ... Guru is ONE with ONE

ਗੁਰ ਗੋਵਿੰਦੁ ਗ+ਵਿੰਦੁ ਗੁਰੂ ਹੈ ਨਾਨਕ ਭੇਦੁ ਨ ਭਾਈ ॥
The Guru is God, and God is the Guru, O Nanak; there is no difference between the two, O Siblings of Destiny:       GURU GRANTH SAHIB

And what is a Manifestation of God/Prophet if not a Teacher of mankind?  He is the revealer of God's Word.  I believe this to be a matter of semantics/language differences, and that we agree more than disagree in our understandings of the relationship between the Creator and the Manifestations of God.


Its unbelievable to me that Bahai Scripture   mentioned all Prophets and Divine Scriptures BcoZ Guru Nanak  Says  ...

ਆਖਹਿ ਵੇਦ ਪਾਠ ਪੁਰਾਣ ॥
The Vedas and the Puraanas speak.

ਆਖਹਿ ਬਰਮੇ ਆਖਹਿ ਇੰਦ ॥
Brahma speaks, Indra speaks.

ਆਖਹਿ ਗੋਪੀ ਤੈ ਗੋਵਿੰਦ ॥
The Gopis and Krishna speak.

ਆਖਹਿ ਈਸਰ ਆਖਹਿ ਸਿਧ ॥
Shiva speaks, the Siddhas speak.

ਆਖਹਿ ਕੇਤੇ ਕੀਤੇ ਬੁਧ ॥
The many created Buddhas speak.

I was not sure how you meant it is "unbelievable" to you... the similarities?  I note some of your chosen verses are also about the mystery of God.  Baha'is also believe that the created (man) can never know or comprehend its Creator:

Consider then, how all the peoples of the world are bowing the knee to a fancy of their own contriving, how they have created a creator within their own minds, and they call it the Fashioner of all that is -- whereas in truth it is but an illusion. Thus are the people worshipping only an error of perception.

But that Essence of Essences, that Invisible of Invisibles, is sanctified above all human speculation, and never to be overtaken by the mind of man. Never shall that immemorial Reality lodge within the compass of a contingent being. His is another realm, and of that realm no understanding can be won. No access can be gained thereto; all entry is forbidden there. The utmost one can say is that Its existence can be proved, but the conditions of Its existence are unknown.     (Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 53)

Thank you for your input, Mark, and welcome to the Baha'i Faith forum. 

(I am making a point with this, so please don't mistake my Confucius references as being irrelevant. )

'Abdu'l-Baha had this to say about Confucius:

"Confucius renewed morals and ancient virtues"
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 165)

"Confucius became the cause of civilization, advancement and prosperity for the people of China.Buddha and Confucius were kings in bygone ages who have disappeared. Their sovereignty in this world is ended and their cycle is completed."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v2, p. 469)

He also calls him a "Blessed Soul."

Shoghi Effendi clarifies that "Confucius was not a Prophet. It is quite correct to say he is the founder of a moral system and a great reformer."
(Shoghi Effendi, Letters from the Guardian to Australia and New Zealand, p. 41)

- - - - - - - - 

When I think of Guru Nanak, I think he occupies the same station as Confucius. If someone were to have asked 'Abdu'l-Baha about Nanak, I think he would have said the same things he said about Confucius. This is because both persons drew from already existing religions and renewed the needed values of their day.

The reasons that neither can be considered a Manifestation, outside of the fact that they aren't (to my knowledge) referred to as such by Baha'u'llah, are that they 1) did not fulfill any prophecies with their advent, 2) did not make prophecies about the future,  3) drew upon already existing ideas and quoted already existing sources (Taoism and Traditional Chinese ethics in the case of Confucius; Sufis, Saints, Muslims, and Hindus in the case of Nanak) and 4) were accepted by the people of their homelands, at least relative to the reactions felt by Baha'u'llah, the Bab, Muhammad, Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Zoroaster, Krishna, and Buddha. 

So I don't believe it's out of line for Baha'is to believe he's a minor prophet in the Islamic tradition. I personally believe he's something special. Obviously I wouldn't advocate everyone to believe that or make it a necessity for "true faith," but I do think there are too many similarities between Sikhs and Baha'is to ignore. 

So this is my response to Nanak as a Baha'i. You can ignore the other post that was pre-Baha'i. 

this link might also be of use. It's the Universal House of Justice and the National Spiritual Assembly of India's positions on Guru Nanak. It basically says Nanak was "was inspired to reconcile the religions of Hinduism and Islam, the followers of which religions had been in violent conflict"

-- Kal

As a Bahá'í I think it is not that important to debate on the exact "theological status" of Guru Nanak when it is so obvious that he was spiritually inspired. His words definitely have power and inspire me even though I am not a Sikh.

Thank you Tingling for the quotations. I have read many more from Guru Nanak that speak to the very essence of my soul. I have no doubt that Guru Nanak and Bahá'u'lláh spoke of the same God and were animated by the same Spirit.

Blessed is the spot, and the house,
and the place, and the city,
      and the heart, and the mountain,
and the refuge, and the cave,
and the valley, and the land,
and the sea, and the island,
and the meadow where mention
   of God hath been made,
  and His praise glorified.

- Bahá'u'lláh -

With kind regards,

LilWabbit