Bahái

The present text deals with the application of Rodney Stark’s model „Why religious groups succeed or fail“ on the Baha’ism (Baha’i faith) in the USA. Baha’ism is a relatively young and ambitious religious movement originally from Iran whose goal is to spread to all countries in the world and to establish a so co-called „world Bahá’i civilization.“ The central role was assigned to the United States of America, where is located the biggest western Baha’i community. Based on Stark’s model, we can say that the Baha’ism (it meets only two criteria of ten) is an unsuccessful religious movement, which is consistent with a low number of adherents according to the US censuses.

The Kitab-Iqan, or simply "the Iqan" appears to be the first book of the Bahai writings, from the Persian prophet Baha-ullah. 

The first of its kind, these academic research papers postulate that the writings of the Bahai propeht Baha-ullah are organized very neatly according to the same renumbering plan of other books of prophecy. 

The book of the prophetic writnigs of Baha-ullah are therefore set forth overall as the Book of Certitude, "The Iqan".  The name of the book is a Persian term regarding the certainty of faith in God, and Heaven, and the Laws of God.  (It might also translate as "the Book of Certainty".)

This chapter provides an account of the Bahá’í Faith in Oceania, a region that includes Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. The period to 1953 focuses on the efforts of early travellers and pioneers in Hawaii, Australia, and New Zealand and the formation of the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand in 1934. The second period, 1953 to 1963, focuses on the systematic spread of the Bahá’í teachings through the Pacific Islands during the ‘World Crusade’, commencing    with pioneers, early adherents, and the establishment of the Fiji-based regional Spiritual Assembly of the South Pacific in 1959, from which at least ten additional National Assemblies emerged as their communities expanded and matured. Differences in cultural context have shaped the patterns of growth in Bahá’í communities across the region. The Australian and New Zealand communities have experienced slow growth in societies that are becoming increasingly secular and in which religious belief is regarded as a private matter of little concern to society or the state, unless it threatens the liberal order. In the Pacific Islands, in contrast, religious adherence was viewed in the late twentieth century as a matter for the community as much as for the individual. Due to the small size of most island populations, coupled with more communal ways of life, the presence of Bahá’í communities and their activities have high visibility. Where a majority in a village or district have chosen to become Bahá’ís, their ability to integrate Bahá’í consultation and the calendar into community life has moved forward more rapidly than has been possible in Western towns and cities. Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs have been established in Sydney (1961) and Apia (1984) and others are nearing completion in Tanna (Vanuatu) and Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea). Bahá’í social and economic development projects are steadily expanding in the region, notably the Ocean of Light School in Tonga and the annual Race Unity Speech contest in New Zealand.

Quelques éléments et perspectives d'inspiration bahá'íe
La place de l'individu dans la communauté, en tant qu'acteur de la construction d'une civilisation mondiale

Mots clés: thèmes, religion & science: sources de savoir, instrument, civilisation, concepts, cadres, stratégies, références, principes, unité & justice, réalité, amour & esprit, spectateur & acteur, construction, bâtir, apprendre ensemble, processus.
Religion,

Предлагаемый текст является попыткой научной рефлексии над сакральной компонентой храмовой архитектуры молодой новой мировой религии – Веры Бахаи. Главной целью данного исследования есть указание некоторых основных символических атрибутов, которые, будучи неотъемлемой частью храмового строительства вышеназванной конфессии, одновременно содержат в себе религиозно-догматическую составляющую этой же веры. Попытка ипользования в данном тексте феноменологического подхода позволила разъяснить отношения, которые возникают между индивидом и религиозной философией, в которой архитектура выполняет роль наглядного пособия и помощника. Разъясняется теологическое значение и социально-культурная роль феномена Mashriqu’l-Adhkár в идентичности последователей бахайской религии.

Review of Eliz Sanasarian. Religious Minorities in Iran (Cambridge Middle East Studies, 13), xx, 228 pp. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000, in Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, Vol. 69, No. 1, February 2006, pp. 151-153.

"The practical exercises for acquiring empathy skills contained in this book can be used for the benefit of children, couples, families, as well as people in counseling and in the workplace.

Why learn empathy? The ability to have empathy for others is important as a foundation for caring and compassion and contributes to positive relationships in all areas of life, from the classroom to the living room and the boardroom.

Empathy builds a sense of community and reduces the tendency to discriminate against or exclude others. A person who is insensitive, abusive, or who bullies others can benefit from an awareness of the emotions of those who are being hurt.

Children, youth, and adults, will be positively impacted by learning empathy with the practical exercises described in this popular book now available on academia.edu"

Allama Dr. Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938) is one of the most effective personality of the 20th century.He enriched his thought from both the Eastern and Western fountain heads of knowledge. A regular and mature research are of his intellectual life started by his doctoral thesis accomplished by him during (1905-1907) in England

Over the past hundred years, Iranian conspiracy theorists have thrown many baseless allegations in the face of the Bahá'í community so as to cast their religion in a negative and unappealing light. A common element in these accusations is an appeal to treason: the claims range from Bahá'ís having historically been agents of Russian imperialism and British colonialism to sharing a common goal for world domination with Zionists to having been affiliated with the secret police of the late Shah's regime. All claims attempt to depict the Bahá'í Faith as a political organization in the guise of a religious group that has, from the very outset, been pursing a covert agenda of inciting domestic chaos and advancing global hegemony. In under 100 pages, I have attempted to refute these claims and others in my first book.

Christopher Buck, “The Mystery of the Sworded Warrior in Hindu Apocalypse: Was Kalki Visnuyasas Baha’u’llah?” (1980).

Early, unpublished manuscript. Although apologetic, this paper was written at a stage when I was an autodidact, just beginning to review the relevant scholarly literature. I've written more recently on this topic in a popular, online venue:

ON BAHA'U'LLAH AS THE "TENTH AVATAR" (HINDU MESSIAH)

Is Baha’u’llah the spiritual advent of the Kalki Avatar, the Hindu messiah?

The answer to that question ultimately becomes a matter of faith. Yet faith can be based on reason, and evidence—so this question invites some investigation.

The Baha’i principle of the harmony of science and religion—which is a universal principle made sacred in the Baha’i teachings—may be brought to bear on this question, through the use of history, a kind of scientific inquiry in its own right.

So these questions naturally arise: How and when did Baha’u’llah come to be identified with the Kalki avatar? Who was Kalki? How did his tradition originate? More importantly, do the descriptions of Kalki favorably compare with Baha’u’llah’s life and mission? The short answer is no—not unless the Kalki traditions are radically reinterpreted.

This is all the more important because the identification of Baha’u’llah with Kalki requires some careful nuancing. It is not a claim that should be taken at face value, upon further investigation.

First, how did Baha’u’llah come to be associated with the messianic figure of Kalki? In 1915, George O. Latimer’s “The Call Of God” was published as the featured article in a prominent American Baha’i publication: Star Of The West, Vol. 6, No. 15 (December 12, 1915), pp. 114–120. The footnote on p. 114 reads: “*Note – Compiled in Stuttgart, Germany, during August, 1914. This manuscript was presented to Abdul-Baha personally by Mr. Latimer while in Akka in October of the same year. Abdul-Baha gave consent to its publication. — The Editors.”

This is quite an endorsement, because it appears that Abdul-Baha approved the article for publication, presumably having reviewed its contents. As Abdul-Baha did not read English, one can only speculate if a translator read Latimer’s article to Abdul-Baha in Persian translation.

In this article, Latimer states that “the Hindoos await the appearance of the tenth incarnation of truth, called Kalki” (p. 117) and, further:
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These three divine men (the Bab, Baha’u’llah and Abdul-Baha) have not only fulfilled the spiritual prophecies of all the former religions, but they have manifested by their words and deeds of the true qualities and requisites necessary to the divine and perfect educator. – p. 119.
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Here, Baha’u’llah is proclaimed as “the promised one of all religions” (p. 118), a common Baha’i declaration of faith:

… the Promised One of all the world’s peoples hath now been made manifest. For each and every people, and every religion, await a Promised One, and Baha’u’llah is that One Who is awaited by all; and therefore the Cause of Baha’u’llah will bring about the oneness of mankind, and the tabernacle of unity will be upraised on the heights of the world, and the banners of the universality of all humankind will be unfurled on the peaks of the earth. – Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 101.

These statements, when read together, lead to the conclusion that the author, George Latimer (claiming Abdu’l-Baha’s approval), explicitly associated messianic traditions of the Kalki avatar with Baha’u’llah’s advent.

Did this messianic association of Baha’u’llah and Kalki gain traction among Hindu Baha’is? In India, songs, called “bhajans,” were composed by Baha’is for teaching purposes. One of the “Baha’i bhajans” joyously proclaims:
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The Kalki Avatar

Arise! O children of India, the Kalki avatar has come.
Vishnu’s avatar has come with the name Baha’u’llah.

Nowhere in the entire world can the influence of religion be seen.
The wicked have obtained everything; the truthful have lost all;
According to the Gita, the time of Vishnu’s avatar has come.

The Gita has said when circumstances are such,
religion is again established just as it has happened today.
In order to save the righteous, the Kalki avatar has come.

Foolish people have not realized that Vishnu’s avatar has come again.
Radha and Arjuna knew that the Lord had taken a new abode.
The eternal has once again manifested himself, the avatar of God.

– quoted by Daniel E. Bassuk, Incarnation in Hinduism and Christianity: The Myth of the God-Man, p. 147.
______________
Baha’i scholar Moojan Momen, in his book, Hinduism and the Baha’i Faith, writes the following about Baha’u’llah’s messianic association with Kalki:
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Hindus are awaiting the coming of the Kalki Avatar at the end of this present age, Kali Yuga. Baha’is believe that we are already at this time. We are at the end of the Kali Yuga and Baha’u’llah is the Kalki Avatar. … All the Hindu scriptures are agreed that when conditions have reached this point, when things have deteriorated and mankind has sunk to the lowest depths of moral degradation, then the Lord will again manifest Himself as the Kalki Avatar. … Therefore Baha’is believe that, faithful to the promises and prophesies recorded in the Hindu holy books, the Lord has now manifested Himself again in the form of the Kalki Avatar. Baha’is believe that this is Baha’u’llah. – Chapter 4, “Hindu Prophecies.”
______________
For those who are familiar with the Kalki traditions, or for those who decide to explore them, readers may wonder: Does the bold (if not bald) claim that Baha’u’llah is the Kalki avatar withstand scrutiny?

On a popular level, when Baha’i bhajans announcing the advent of Kalki as Baha’u’llah are joyfully sung, then yes. On a textual and historical grounds, however, problems arise. These problems therefore invite a nuanced analysis.

Wendy Doniger, in her controversial book, The Hindus: An Alternative History, refers to Kalki as one of the “interreligious avatars” (p. 674), who makes his first appearance (in Sanskrit literature) in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata, the (the world’s longest poem):
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Kalki appears first in the Mahabharata, after a long description of the horrors of the Kali Age. Then: “A Brahmin by the name of Kalki Vishnuyashas will be born, impelled by Time, in the village of Shambhala.” He will be a king, and he will annihilate all the barbarians and destroy the robbers and make the earth over to the twice born at a great horse sacrifice. (Mahabharata 3.188.86–93, 189.1–13.) Nothing is said here about his being an avatar of Vishnu, except that he is named Fame of Vishnu (Vishnu-yashas), and nothing is said about a horse, except for his horse sacrifice. – p. 308.
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Here, we see that the name of this Savior-King, whether mythical, legendary or quasi-historical, means the “fame of Vishnu,” which was one of the names of Kalki, i.e. Kalki Vishnu-yashas. In the Kalki Purana (Chapter 30, “Lord Kalki and Visnuyasa Perform Sacrifices Instructions by Narada Muni”), “Vishnu-yashas” is the name of Kalki’s father:

Visnuyasa could understand from the words of the great sage, Narada, that his son, Kalki, was truly the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Hari. After some time, he gave up his family life and left home to reside within the forest. – Kalki Purana 30:42.

The name of Kalki’s father, Visnuyasa (or the alternative spelling, Vishnu-yashas), is a spiritual epithet that means the “fame of Visnu.” It can likewise be translated as the “Glory of God”—which is the exact meaning of Baha’u’llah’s name!

Let’s now consider the term “interreligious” in connection with Kalki and, later on, with Baha’u’llah. “Interreligious” relations can be for good or for ill. If for unity, then good. If for conquest, then bad.

Baha’u’llah as the Hindu Kalki Avatar
Christopher Buck • Jan 16, 2018
https://bahaiteachings.org/bahaullah-hindu-kalki-avatar/

The Graphic Battles in the Holy Books
Christopher Buck • Jan 17, 2018
https://bahaiteachings.org/graphic-battles-holy-books/

Awaiting the Hindu Messiah
Christopher Buck • Jan 19, 2018
https://bahaiteachings.org/awaiting-hindu-messiah/

The Tenth Avatar
Christopher Buck • Jan 21, 2018
https://bahaiteachings.org/tenth-avatar/

Baha’u’llah and the Return of Krishna
Christopher Buck • Jan 22, 2018
https://bahaiteachings.org/bahaullah-return-krishna/

Who Was Krishna—and Has He Returned?
Christopher Buck • Jan 23, 2018
https://bahaiteachings.org/who-was-krishna-and-has-he-retu…/

The Prophecies of the Bhagavad-Gita
Christopher Buck • Jan 24, 2018
https://bahaiteachings.org/prophecies-bhagavad-gita/

How to Beware of False Prophecies
Christopher Buck • Feb 8, 2018
https://bahaiteachings.org/beware-false-prophecies/

The Mystery of the Sworded Warrior in Hindu Apocalypse: Was Kalki Visnuyasas Bahā’u’llāh? Christopher Buck. American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature, Pacific Northwest Region, Annual Meeting. Vancouver School of Theology, Vancouver, British Columbia. (May 8, 1981.) (Abstract published in “Abstracts: AAR/SBL—Pacific Northwest Region, Annual Meeting, 7–9 May 1981, Abstract #16.)
https://bahai-library.com/buck_mystery_sworded_warrior

The Mystery of the Sworded Warrior in Hindu Apocalypse: Was Kalki Visnuyasas Bahā’u’llāh? Vancouver Regional Conference. Canadian Association for the Studies on the Bahá’í Faith. Presented, in absentia, by Jane Nishi Goldstone. (December 30, 1980.)
https://bahai-library.com/buck_mystery_sworded_warrior

This paper focuses on the historical, political, and philosophical relation between Shi’i and Baha’ism in terms of teachings as well as movement. Likewise, the paper will furthermore analyze the political and religious narrative in the late nineteenth century, in Persia as the root of Shi’ite dynasty that has begun new history of the birth of new world religion, the Baha’i faith. Many political circumstances discouraged this faith not only in Iran but also in some Muslim countries including Indonesia. Although, the Baha’i movement started a new movement of difficulties as well as rejection from Shi’ite communities, it is important to perceive these two opposite groups (Shi’i and Baha’i) as the same line from Qajar dynasty. The phenomena of Baha’i and Shi’a might be defined as the conflict between inter-elite groups within the dynasty itself. When the Baha’i appeared under the authoritarian as well as dominance of Shi’ites, the conflict between aristocratic families of the Qajar dynasty has began.

Christopher Buck, “Bahāʾīs.” Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān: Supplement. Ed. Jane McAuliffe. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. (Published December 1, 2016.)

Having arisen out of Islamic historical context and milieu, the Bahāʾī religion has certain Islamicate elements, yet the Bahāʾī Faith exhibits certain other features that phenomenologically are supra-Islamicate and socially and institutionally distinctive in character. For instance, Islamic doctrine adheres to a belief in successive revelations, beginning with Adam, and culminating with the Prophet Muḥammad as the “Seal of the Prophets.” In Bahāʾī teachings, the idea of successive revelations is invested with a teleology that transforms it into “progressive revelation” where the succession of Messengers throughout the history of religions is not only sequential but cumulative, coefficient with the social evolution of humanity. As humankind advances socially, so does the corresponding need for guidance and laws suited to the exigencies of the day and age. Here, “progressive” conveys the notion of a “fuller” and “more advanced” repository of divine guidance (by way of revelatory sacred texts), without making a claim of intrinsic superiority.

A Bahāʾī theology of pluralism, with special reference to Islam, may be based on a statement by Shoghi Effendi, “Guardian” of the Bahāʾī Faith (1921–57): “Unequivocally and without the least reservation it proclaims all established religions to be divine in origin, identical in their aims, complementary in their functions, continuous in their purpose, indispensable in their value to mankind.” (S. Effendi, World Order, p. 58). This, of course, applies as much to Islam as to other religions.

Islamic prophetology is anchored in the received interpretation of Q. 33:40, which is widely believed to establish Muḥammad as the final prophet (see prophets and prophethood). In what is perhaps his most significant exegetical maneuver, Bahā’u’llāh relativizes that claim in order to supersede it, refocusing the reader’s attention a mere four verses later (Q. 33:44) on the eschatological attainment to the presence of God (liqāʾ Allāh) on the last day (see eschatology):

*** Even as the Lord of being hath in His unerring Book (Qurʾān), after (baʿd az) speaking of the “Seal” in His exalted utterance: “Muḥammad is the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets” (Q. 33:40), hath revealed unto all people the promise (vaʾda) of “attainment unto the divine Presence (liqāʾyi khudā).” To this attainment to the presence of the immortal King testify the verses of the Book, some of which We have already mentioned (vide par. 148: Q. 29:23, 2:46, 2:249, 18:111, 13:2). The one true God is My witness! Nothing more exalted or more explicit than “attainment unto the divine Presence” hath been revealed in the Qurʾān. (va khudā-yi vāḥid shāhid-i maqāl ast kih hīch amrī a’ẓam az liqā’ va asraḥ-ī az ān dar furqān zikr nayāftih.) Well is it with him that hath attained thereunto, in the day wherein most of the people, even as ye witness, have turned away therefrom. ***

*** And yet, through the mystery of the former (avval) verse, they have turned away from the grace promised by the latter (thānī), despite the fact that “attainment unto the divine Presence” in the “Day of Resurrection” (liqāʾ dar yawm-i qiyām) is explicitly stated in the Book (Qurʾān). (Bahā’u’llāh, the Kitāb-i-Īqān, trans. Shoghi Effendi, Pars. 181–182; parenthetical references added; id. Īqān, Pars. 181–182). ***

In this pivotal passage, when Bahā’u’llāh relates back to “verses of the Book, some of which We have already mentioned,” a quick search of the Īqān shows that, in par. 148, Bahā’u’llāh cites Q. 29:23, 2:46, 2:249, 18:111, 13:2. Yet in this passage, Bahā’u’llāh also alludes to a Qurʾānic announcement of the “attainment unto the divine Presence” in the “Day of Resurrection” (liqāʾ dar yawm-i qiyām) that comes “after” (baʿd az) the “Seal” verse.

Shoghi Effendi, in his dual role as authorized translator and interpreter of Bahāʾī scriptures, provides a word-for-word, literal translation in rendering the Persian so: “And yet, through the mystery of the former.” Then Shoghi Effendi inserts one word for amplification: “verse” (not in the original Persian). This subtle, yet highly significant, gloss disambiguates the text, narrowing the reading from an episodic sequence of prophetic/eschatological events (“Seal of the Prophets” followed by “Divine Presence”) to a textual, qurʾānic sequence, i.e. of a pair verses descriptive of this same sequence. This makes perfect sense since the preposition “after” (baʿd az) can also mean “next.”

An attractive hypothesis (with strong evidence shy of conclusive proof) is that Bahā’u’llāh intended this pair of verses, Q. 33:40 and Q. 33:44, to be read together. Indeed, the very next verse after the “Seal” verse that refers to the eschatological encounter with God is Q. 33:44, which reads: “Their greeting the Day they meet Him will be, “Peace.” And He has prepared for them a noble reward” (Sahih International). A Shīʿī rendering is: “On the day when they will be brought into the presence of their Lord, their greeting to each other will be, ‘Peace be with you.’ God has prepared an honorable reward them” (Muḥammad Sarwar).

The Baha’i Faith claims to be the eight largest and second most widespread religion in the world, superficially it appears to be a fusion of Shiite millennialism, Western social radicalism and a benign globalist perspective. This paper seeks to reappraise a forgotten aspect of the introduction of the Baha’i Faith to the West, the importance of individuals seeped in the mystical, the occult and esoteric to the creation of the synthesis of modernity and mysticism which underpins the Baha’i perspective.

Buck, Christopher. “The Baha’i ‘Race Amity’ Movement and the Black Intelligentsia in Jim Crow America: Alain Locke and Robert S. Abbott.” Baha’i Studies Review 17 (2011): 3–46. [Published September 2012.]

EPIGRAPH:

I attended every session, day and night ... Many times throughout the meetings did with much effort restrain my tears. My heart leaped and throbbed and many times almost burst within my breast. I am a colored man ... My race as a whole, I believe, is quite ready to welcome the glad day when all will be brothers. ... The trouble is nearly unilateral. God give us the day.

— M. F. Harris, audience member at the ‘Convention for Amity Between the Colored and White Races Based on Heavenly Teachings’ (19–21 May 1921)

ABSTRACT:

This study demonstrates how the Baha’i ‘Race Amity’ efforts effectively reached the black intelligentsia during the Jim Crow era, attracting the interest and involvement of two influential giants of the period — Alain Leroy Locke, PhD (1885–1954) and Robert S. Abbott, LLB (1870–1940). Locke affiliated with the Baha’i Faith in 1918, and Abbott formally joined the Baha’i religion in 1934.

Another towering figure in the black intelligentsia, W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963) – whose first wife, Nina Du Bois (d. 1950), was a member of the New York Baha’i community — had sustained, for a period of time, considerable interest in the Baha’i movement, as documented in a forthcoming special issue of the Journal of Religious History, guest edited by Todd Lawson. These illustrious figures — W. E. B. Du Bois, Alain L. Locke and Robert S. Abbott — are ranked as the 4th, 36th and 41st most influential African Americans in American history. It is not so much the intrinsic message of the Baha’i religion that attracted the interest of the black intelligentsia, but rather the Baha’i emphasis on ‘race amity’ — representing what, by Jim Crow standards, may be regarded as a socially audacious, even radical — application of the Baha’i ethic of world unity, from family relations to international relations, to the prevailing American social crisis.

EXCERPT:

On February 1, 2012, Cornel West, Professor of African American Studies and Religion, Princeton University, paid tribute to the historic Baha’i efforts to foster ideal race relations in America:

“When you talk about race and the legacy of white supremacy, there’s no doubt that when the history is written, the true history is written, the history of this country, the Baha’i Faith will be one of the leaven in the American loaf that allowed the democratic loaf to expand because of the anti-racist witness of those of Baha’i faith.”

[“Towards Oneness - Cornel West” (1 February 2012). Online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbEDC8wAWiI [updated link, accessed May 17, 2018.]

If and when, as suggested by Cornel West, a revisionist history of the Jim Crow era is written, the contribution of the Baha’i ‘race amity’ initiatives — envisioned and mandated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá himself — should take its rightful place in the annals of American history.

BEYOND THE “SEAL OF THE PROPHETS”:
BAHA’U’LLAH’S BOOK OF CERTITUDE (KITAB-I-IQAN)

Buck, Christopher. “Beyond the ‘Seal of the Prophets’: Bahā’u’llāh’s Book of Certitude (Ketāb-e Iqān).” Religious Texts in Iranian Languages. Edited by Clause Pedersen & Fereydun Vahman. København (Copenhagen): The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters / Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab – Historiske-filosofiske Meddelelser 98, København, 2007. Pp. 369–378.   

INTRODUCTION

Because of its international audience, Baha’u’llah’s Book of Certitude (Ketab-e Iqan) may now be regarded as the world’s most influential Koran commentary in Persian outside the Muslim world. The basis for this claim is simple: the Iqan is coextensive with the Baha’i faith. As its preeminent doctrinal text, the Iqan helped crystallize Baha’i identity and lent considerable impetus to its missionary expansion. The core claims advanced by the Iqan have, in principle, been adapted to other religious environments. It is post-Islamic by dint of its claims: the Iqan vindicates the prophetic credentials of Sayyid ‘Ali-Muhammad Shirazi, known as “the Bab” (d. 1850), who broke decisively from Islam in 1844, by declaring himself to be the inaugurator of a new religious cycle. “Revealed” in January 1861, the Iqan sets the stage for Baha’u’llah’s impending claim to revelation in April 1863 in Baghdad.

The Iqan advances an Islamic argument to legitimate its post-Islamic claims. The Iqan's most original and dramatic act of Koranic interpretation may well be its argument for how God could (and would) send another prophet after Muhammad, notwithstanding the latter’s station as the “Seal of the Prophets” (Q. 33:40). Baha’u’llah’s exegetical strategy is a tour de force—using an essentially Islamic argument to prove something ostensibly alien to orthodox Islam, both Sunni and Shi‘a. More significant than its theological argument, however, is the Iqan's historical impact. Even though, from the Islamic point of view, the Iqan argued the impossible, Baha’u’llah’s discourse on realized eschatology became a self-fulfilling prophecy. The argument for a post-Islamic rev- elation was not academic. It was historical.

EXCERPT:
The “Seal of the Prophets”

[...] By shifting the focus of prophetological attention away from the “Seal” verse itself to refocus on the several Koranic “Divine Presence” verses, Baha’u’llah could make an Islamic case for post-Koranic revelation. From a certain point of view, his entire line of argumentation in the Iqan is calculated to establish the priority of Q. 33:44 over Q. 33:40. Baha’u’llah accepts the importance of the Koranic verse designating Muhammad as “the Seal of the Prophets” (Q. 33:40), yet draws attention to an exegetical oversight but four verses later:

“How strange! [...] Even as the Lord of being hath in His unerring Book [the Koran], after speaking of the ‘Seal’ in His exalted utterance: ‘Muhammad is the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets’ (Q. 33:40), hath revealed unto all people the promise of ‘attainment unto the divine Presence’ (cf. Q. 33:44). To this attainment to the presence of the immortal King testify the verses of the Book, some of which We have already mentioned. The one true God is My witness! Nothing more exalted or more explicit than ‘attainment unto the divine Presence’ hath been revealed in the Koran.” [...]

“And yet, through the mystery of the former verse, they have turned away from the grace promised by the latter, despite the fact that “attainment unto the divine Presence” in the ‘Day of Resurrection’ is explicitly stated in the Book. It hath been demonstrated and definitely established, through clear evidences, that by ‘Resurrection’ is meant the rise of the Manifestation of God to proclaim His Cause, and by ‘attainment unto the divine Presence’ is meant attainment unto the presence of His Beauty in the person of His Manifestation. For verily, ‘No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all vision’ (Q. 6:103).” (Iqan 169–70/Persian text, 112)

This argument is predicated on an anti-anthropomorphist interpretation of Q. 6:103. It would be safe to say that, for Muslims universally, the Koran’s designation of Muhammad as the “Seal of the Prophets” (Q. 33:40) is possibly the most important prophetological verse of the Koran (certainly it ranks as one of the most crucial verses doctrinally). Yet Baha’u’llah here points to a verse just four verses later, and makes that verse (and its parallels) the centerpiece of his exegesis and the crux of his entire argument: “Their greeting on the day when they shall meet Him shall be “Peace!” And He hath got ready for them a noble recompense” (Q. 33:44).

While this brief description of the Iqan scarcely does justice to its broader range of Koranic interpretations, the reader should now have a clear idea as to the book’s purpose, theophanic claims, and historical impact. As a heterodox work of tafsir, the Iqan advances an Islamic argument to exegetically create the possibility of post-Koranic prophets. For this and other reasons, the Iqan preserves its place as the preeminent doctrinal text of the Baha’i Faith. To claim that the Iqan may now be regarded as the world’s most influential Koran commentary outside the Muslim world is simply to acknowledge the historical fact that the Baha’i religion has spun out of its Islamic orbit and radiated globally, while maintaining its Islamic roots.

Highlights of the First 40 Years of the Bahá’í Faith in New York, City of the Covenant, 1892-1932
The information compiled in this document was made available to Hussein Ahdieh by the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New York City while working on the booklet honoring the Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s trip to New York City. Other sources include materials from The Star of the West, Robert Stockman’s books, Mahmud and Juliet Thompson diaries.

A wealth of literature has attested to the recrudescence of state-and clerical-sponsored religious intolerance and persecution of the Iranian Baha'i religious minority since the more than three decades of the Iranian Islamic revolution in 1979. Persecution during the Pahlavi regime is more sparsely documented. The following is an annotated translation of an article by Nasser Mohajer of the grim circumstances surrounding the brutal killing of Baha'i physician Sulayman Berjis (1897–1950) by a gang of religious fanatics and the uncivil indifference and abortive trial of justice that followed.

Киселев О.С. Семья как «страна в миниатюре» в вере бахаи / Семья: феноменология повседневности: коллектив. моногр./ под общ. ред. Е. С. Элбакян, Г. С. Широкаловой. — Н. Новгород: НГСХА, 2016. — С. 254-265

В главе представлено систематическое описание понимания института семьи в религии Бахаи. Автор, основываясь на текстах Бахауллы, Абдул-Баха, Шоги Эффеди и Всемирного Дома Справедливости показывает, что брак и семья с точки зрения Веры Бахаи относятся к фундаментальным ценностям, общим для всех религий. В этом контексте автор раскрывает и принцип бахаи о равенстве мужчины и женщины, правила помолвки и бракосочетания, отношение к сексу и деторождению. Отдельно в статье затрагиваются вопросы взаимоотношений между мужем и женой, а также правила расторжения брака.

Book 2 of "The City of Certitude",  by the lost Bahai prophet "Baha-ullah"

The text represents about 10% of the writings of the lost Persian prophet Baha-ullah, that wrote from 1852-1892. 

(Only about 20% have been translated so far.  The guy wrote about a dozen Quran's worth of spiritual addresses, musings, and legal teachings. )

Also download and read the Table of Contents more information.

* 'An extra book of 'Prayers and Meditations' was inadvertently omitted

The concepts and measurements in psychology of religion often adhere to its Judeo-Christian roots, which causes problems when measuring non-Christian religiosity. In this paper, two successive studies are presented. The first study applied Huber's CRS-15, while the second study used the CRSi-20. Both samples consisted of believers of the non-Christian, Abrahamic Baha'i religion in Germany. In the first study, in which N = 472 participated (M Age = 43.22, SD Age = 15.59, 60.0% female), the reliability and validity issues related to items of public practice and experience of the CRS-15 were uncovered. After modifying the content of these items and adding the five additional items of the interreligious CRSi-20, which was tested among N = 324 participants (M Age = 47.12, SD Age = 17.06, 59.6% female) in a second study, most reliability issues were solved. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the CRSi-20 model describes the data appropriately with adequate fit indices. Therefore, the CRSi-20 for Baha'is offers the first reliable and valid measurements of Baha'i religiosity, being at the same time capable of taking the emic perspective fully into account while maintaining the possibility of cross-religious comparisons.

This article outlines the spread of the Bahá'í religion (known in Chinese as Datong jiao 大同教) in Republican China (1912-1949), as a form of religious cosmopolitanism that originated in Iran, whose spread to China can be traced to links with the Ottoman Empire, British Palestine, the United States and Japan. By tracking the individuals, connections and events through which knowledge of the Bahá'í movement spread in China, our study reveals an overlapping nexus of networks that shared cosmopolitan ideals: intellectual reformers, liberal Christians, Esperantists, Confucian modernizers, redemptive society activists, and socialists. The Bahá'í connections serve as a thread that sheds light on a unique 'cosmopolitan moment' in Republican China, hitherto largely ignored in the scholarly literature on this period, which has focused primarily on the growth of modern Chinese nationalism. Leading nationalist figures endorsed these movements, showing that nationalism and cosmopolitanism were seen as expressions of the same ideal of world community, at a specific juncture of Asian colonial modernity. Through this case, we argue that the sociology of cosmopolitanism should attend to non-secular and non-state movements advocating utopian visions of cosmopolitanism, map the circulations that form a nexus of such groups, and identify the contextual dynamics that produce 'cosmopolitan moments' at specific historical junctures and locations.

Buck, Christopher. “The Interracial ‘Baha’i Movement’ and the Black Intelligentsia: The Case of W. E. B. Du Bois.” Journal of Religious History 36.4 (December 2012): 542–562. (Special Issue: Baha’i History, guest-edited by Todd Lawson.) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9809.2012.01230.x.

Journal of Religious History
Volume 36, Issue 4 p. 542-562
ARTICLE
The Interracial “Baha'i Movement” and the Black Intelligentsia: The Case of W. E. B. Du Bois
CHRISTOPHER BUCK
First published: 13 December 2012
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9809.2012.01230.x

Abstract
This article surveys W. E. B. Du Bois's encounters with the Baha'i religion, from 1910 to 1953. Sections one and two focus on Du Bois and ‘Abdu'l-Baha (1844–1921), while section three treats Du Bois's indirect connection to the New York Baha'i community through Nina Du Bois's documented affiliation with that group. Section four chronicles the 1937 Nashville incident involving reportedly segregated Baha'i meetings, and section five looks at Du Bois's later Baha'i contacts, completing the trajectory. Originally attracted to Baha'i teachings on interracial unity — with Du Bois prominently featuring ‘Abdu'l-Baha with full-page photograph in Du Bois's “Men of the Month” column — Du Bois later waxed indignant, openly criticizing the Baha'i movement in a Pittsburgh Courier editorial. Drawing on press reports, Baha'i records, and archival correspondence between members of the Baha'i community and Du Bois, primary sources establish that Du Bois's righteous indignation was based on misinformation.

This article has as objective to discuss how the peace concept evolved along with the history, and subsequently, to examine how this concept dialogue with the perspective provided by Bahá'í Faith according to authoritative texts and experts. Aiming to provide an overview for a discussion of a term in flux, this exploratory analysis was conducted aiming to respond to the following question: which are the interfaces between the discussion on peace developed by Peace Studies and the conceptual framework provided also on peace by Bahá'í Faith? The research shows that there are intersections both in concepts of peace and violence. Moreover, Bahá'í Faith brings an additional contribution to Peace Studies, which is a unique discussion on human nature and the principle of the oneness of mankind.

“Science and Religion Are Complementary.” 
World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2013.

Invited student-oriented argument essay, demonstrating the present writer’s “CLEAR Argument Paradigm,” a generative model (based on Stephen Toulmin’s analytical model) to assist students in writing their own arguments: Claim (Position), Limits (Qualifier), Evidence (Reasons, Grounds), Assumptions (Warrants & Backing), and Rebuttal (to objections).  

On ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Prophecy: “These Indians will enlighten the whole world.” By Christopher Buck and Kevin Locke [Lakota], Version #4 (April 26, 2020).

•  This is a work-in-progress.
•  “The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Bahá’í Faith.”
•  (Photos are linked: Click on each photo to view source.)
•  Feedback invited.

This chapter provides an account of the Bahá’í Faith in the countries of Northeast Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, Sakhalin Island, and Taiwan). Against a backdrop of warfare, revolution, and intense ideological and territorial contest, the histories of the Bahá’í communities in most of these countries have slowly but surely progressed through at least three distinct phases: the first comprising the arrival of individual Bahá’ís in the nineteenth century; the second comprising systematic efforts under the Ten Year Plan (1953–63), during which the Tokyo-based regional Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of North East Asia was established in 1957; and the third comprising the emergence from this regional body of separate national Spiritual Assemblies in Japan and Korea (1964), Taiwan (1967), and Hong Kong (1974). Political circumstances in China, Mongolia, and Sakhalin resulted in slower emergence, with organized Bahá’í activities in China halted since 1949. The first entry by Bahá’ís to the Russian territory of Sakhalin Island occurred in the 1990s, and the national Assembly of Mongolia was first elected in 1994.

Book 1 of "The City of Certitude",  by the lost Bahai prophet "Baha-ullah"

The text of Vol 11, book 1 represents about 10% of the writings of the lost Persian prophet Baha-ullah, that wrote from 1852-1892. 

(Only about 20% have been translated so far.  The guy wrote about a dozen Quran's worth of spiritual addresses, musings, and legal teachings. )

Please read/download the Table of Contents of volume 11 for more information.

Bahá’í Faith, a young world religion, which significantly differs from the other world revealed religions, has its own characteristics also in what concerns the practice of prayer. No institution of the priesthood and dogmatic canon law allow believers this new religion almost by any means to pray to God. Bahá’í doctrine emphasizes the importance of prayer in the life of both individuals, and the whole community. It is
important not mechanical reading of the texts of intentions, but experiencing the state of spiritual development. Basically, prayers of this religion are divided for obligatory and facultative, that is celebrated in private, rarely – in the community of the faithful. The content of the prayer’s texts in a clear base reflects the Bahá’í theology and it could be a good source material for researchers of the phenomenon of new religious movements and the phenomenon of the spread of these movements as well.

From the 1850s the authorized translation of The Hidden Words, translated by Shoghi Effendi and followed by alternative translations. The tablet of the Hidden Words was produced in Arabic and Persian, in the same way as was the Bayan.

Widely reknowned for its doctrines addressing the prophet(s), The Hidden Words is a early tablet of Baha-ullah.

Real estate development is a management task that deals with the first phase of the real estate life cycle. The factors of capital, land and project idea be combined taking into account the time frame condition. In speculative project development the central task is the location and market analysis, which focuses on the recognition of sustainable concepts that keep their value. But also in the development of real estate for predefined users, third party user uses should already be taken into consideration.
Dealing with stakeholders during the actual project development process and the handling of corruption or potential violation of law in the development and implementation phase is vital and determines whether a sustainable project development is taken seriously and thus sustainable development of a society is ensured.

Yemen is home to religious and sectarian minorities who represent about 0.5% of the total population. In addition to Muslims, there is a minority of Jews, who’s presence has drastically shrunk over the years due to the multiple violations and displacement they were subjected to. Yemen also has a Bahai minority, who are currently estimated to number around 2,000 individuals. They also have been subject to harassment and repeated violations by the militias currently controlling northern Yemen, where the majority of these minorities lived. In addition to these religious minorities, th
ere is another minority that represents the largest minority in proportion to the overall population. It is a minority group that has faced marginalization and organized racism from both society and the state. They are the Muhamasheen (marginalized) minority, or as they are locally known “Akhdam” – a negative term that takes a racist dimension towards this group.
Despite the different historical narratives regarding the origins of this group – which are characterized by their dark skin color – historical records confirm that they have been in Yemen for centuries. However, they have been subjected to the most severe levels of discrimination, violations and deprivation at all levels of life.
One of the loopholes that affect the rights of minorities as citizens is the various interpretations of the Yemeni constitution in the laws and provisions that have led to the discrimination against them.
This book, which includes brief reports on the situation of the major minorities present in Yemeni society, tries to shed light on the status of those minorities, as an essential part of the work that we do at INSAF Center for Defending Freedoms & Minorities. As we believe that information is the first step in order to reach precise treatments to remedy this situation, especially when it comes to minority rights and freedoms.
The book contains five reports on five different minorities, four of which are religious minorities, namely Judaism, Christianity, Baha’i, and Ismailism. The fifth is on the racially discriminated group Muhamasheen (marginalized) minority. Resources for the book range from a number of historical sources such as books and scientific research, as well as a number of reports published by international and local organizations concerned with defending minorities and fighting for their rights, in addition to several private sources that we were able to obtain by interviewing spokespersons and individuals from those minorities.
It can be said that this book is the first of its kind to deal with the situation of the various minorities in Yemen, where previous publications generally focused on single problems that some minorities faced. The book provides historical background information about these minorities, then an explanation of the social, political and economic realities they face, all the way to reviewing the violations against them, particularly at the present time. This will aid in planning for more in-depth research, or in the design of practical programs, either to increase awareness of the rights of these minorities and ways to support and protect them. This should not only protect these minorities, but it will certainly help to create a harmonious society that believes in pluralism and cooperation for peace in the future.

Problems and prospects of international intervention on behalf of Iran’s Baha’i minority
Baha’i religion in Iran The Baha’i religion is a relatively new religion about 200 years old and was established in Iran by the Bab and Baha’u’llah.  Iran has a population of 70 million. Out of these 70 million people there are  95.6% Muslims, 2.8% Zoroastrians, 0.5% Christians, 0.5% Baha’is and Hindus and other religions  form 0.1%. Baha’i’s hence form the minority religion with only 350,000 Baha’is in Iran It is necessary to recognize the conflict between the Islamic government and the Baha’i community.