A treatise revealed by baha u llah in baghdad in 186162 in response to questions posed by one of the maternal uncles of the bab, translated by shoghi effendi and first published in english in 1931. Born in tehran, persian, he lived from 1817 to 1892. Thanks to the current owner, payam afsharian, for sharing a photocopy for this reproduction, and to christopher buck, who donated the photocopy. This is a tablet containing bahaullah s own writing anthology chosen to illustrate major themes of his revelation.
It became probably the most copied, widely circulated and influential of all baha i works. Baha u llah went on to found his own religion, and in 1873 revealed a new, concise book of laws. The book of certitude kitabi iqan is the preeminent doctrinal work of the baha i faith. The book of certitude is a work of exegesis, where nontransparent passages of the ible and the qur an parables. The iqan itself declares its contents to be the essence of all. The book of certitude this sacred text contains the basic tenets. The book of certitude bahaullah, shoghi effendi on. The book of certitude was written in 1862, a year or so before baha u llah declared himself to be the messianic figure, he whom god shall make manifest, foretold by the bab. In passages that draw not only on the quran, but with equal facility and insight on the old and new testaments, the messengers of god are depicted as agents of a single. In it, baha u llah gives a sweeping overview of religious truth, explaining the underlying unity of the worlds religions, describing the universality of the revelations humankind has revceived from the prophets of god, illuminating their fundamental teachings, and elucidating. For the first time in religious history, we have reliable evidence of how the word of god is revealed. One of the foremost books of the revelation of bahaullah, the kitabiiqan contains bahaullahs explanations of the basic tenets of the bahai faith and of the. This is a book of unsurpassed preeminence among the writings of the author of the baha i revelation. It was revealed by aha ullah in aghdad, in january 1861.
For an online copy of the book of certitude, please see this page. Coming from a catholic background, i am very comfortable with the biblical references it makes. Baha u llahs book of certitude, however, is much more accessible than the writings of the bab and certainly the shaykhi texts. Hippolyte dreyfusbarney bahaipedia, an encyclopedia. So, they can be a bit much to read and absorb for persons unfamiliar with the terms and language. His voice is calling you unto that which shall profit you, and enjoineth you to. He wrote hundreds of volumes of religious scripture on topics such as the. Clearly, the bab willingly gave up his life for the principles of the new cause, doing everything in his power to assist the readiness of the people for the coming of baha u llah.
Of course you can deduce such a thing, but the point is that its never explicitly stated, which is strange compared to the bab who affirmed their walayah from beginning to end, the physical existence of the imam almahdi, and the deputyship naibiyyah of his four gates alabwab alarbaa. The book of certitude this sacred text contains the basic tenets of the. The book of certitude an online bahai learning center. The kitabi iqan book of certitude is one of bahaullahs major works written in defence of the religious claims of sayyid ali muhammad shirazi, the bab. Some answered questions, 1908 edition by abdul baha.
The kitabiiqan, the book of certitude, is one of the. The kitabiiqan, the book of certitude, is one of the most important scriptural works in all of the religious history. I am currently reading the kitabiiqan the book of certitude, but i am struggling. It also focuses on what ultimately led them to believe in bahaullah. The book was originally known as risaliyikhal, epistle to the uncle, and later entitled by baha u llah himself as the kitabiiqan. Epistle to the son of the wolf was revealed by bahaullah about one year before his death, and though it is addressed to the son of an official, it can be found relevant to a contemporary reader as well. The majesty and glory of the cause are as great as its trials and afflictions are intense. An introduction to baha u llah s book of certitude with two digital reprints of early lithographs. More about the life and mission of baha u llah more about this publication. A decade before that momentous declaration, in 1853, the persian government had exiled baha u llah to baghdad, fearing the rapid spread of his teachings and their progressive impact on society. The kitabi iqan book of certitude is one of baha u llah s major works dating from the early 1860s while he was exiled in baghdad, but before he openly announced his claim to be the promised one of all religions. The kitabiiqan, the book of certitude, is one of the an important scriptural works in the baha i faith.
Ali kuli khan, assisted by howard macnutt new york. As a result of hbahai discussions of my paper conversion of the great uncle of the bab the issue came up regarding a letter of the khali akbar, dated 5 rajab 1277 a. The bab was considered both by babis and baha is an independent. The earliest bahai publication the british library. A treatise revealed by bahaullah in baghdad in 186162 in response to questions posed by one of the maternal. Bah u llah describes the role of prophets throughout history and calls some of his contemporaries to task for promulgating false or selfserving views about religion.
Baha u llah revealed over a hundred volumes of sacred texts, including prayers and meditations, a book of laws, mystical passages and the book of certitude, which covers theology. Baha u llah s writings were very formal and elegant in style and translated into a king james style of english so as to match that style and tone. The kitabiiqan bahai reference library the bahai faith. Kitabi iqan book of certitude, a major bahai work by bahaullah. In april of 1863, because baha u llah s message of oneness and harmony continued to spread and. The work holds a position of unsurpassed preeminence among baha u llah s ethical writings. Baha u llah s hidden words are perhaps one of the most accessible scriptural collections, explaining the essence of faith in short and beautiful passages. This firstever trade edition of bah u llah s book of certitude offers the prolific authors account of the tenets of the faith and the universal mission of all religions. The work was composed partly in persian and partly in arabic by bahaullah, the founder of the bahai faith, in 1861, when he was living as an exile in.
Training in morals and good conduct is far more important than book learning. In contrast, baha u llah denies that imam alaskari ever had a son, denounces. This is the day in which the testimony of the lord hath been fulfilled, the day in which the word of god hath been made manifest, and his evidence firmly established. Dreyfusbarney translated from arabic or persian, the following works of baha u llah into french. All are welcome to a facebook study of baha u llah s book of certitude, to follow jackis facebook devotional. One bahai scholar states that it can be regarded as the most influential quran commentary in persian outside the muslim world, because of its international audience. Bahaullahs kitabiiqan, revealed in 1861, is one of the foremost among the works of his revelation, unequalled by any work in the entire range of bahai literature, except the kitabiaqdas. The book of certitude baha u llah, effendi, shoghi on. The hope is that it may assist others in their efforts to approach what must always be regarded as the unattainable goal a befitting rendering of baha u llah. A new version of the bahai reference library is now available. Baha u llah s presentation of the major themes of progressive revelation.
Occasional papers in shaykhi, babi and baha i studies, vol. The book of certitude the abin introduction 1 the book of certitude the kitab i iqan is the 2nd most important book of the ahai writings. One of the foremost books of the revelation of baha u llah, the kitabiiqancontains baha u llah s explanations of the basic tenets of the baha i faith and of the continuity of religion as it has been revealed throughout the ages. In it, baha u llah gives a sweeping overview of religious truth, explaining the underlying unity of the worlds religions, describing the universality of the revelations humankind has revceived from the prophets of god, illuminating their fundamental teachings, and. Epistle to the son of the wolf by baha u llah translated from the french edition by. The kitabiiqan is one of many books held sacred by followers of the bahai faith. It is as if baha u llah had distilled the crux of progressive revelation from the babs teaching and placed it at the heart of his revelation. Lights of guidanceeducation and training of children bahaiworks. Book of certitude is one of many books held sacred by followers of the bahai faith. This old version of the bahai reference library will be replaced at a later date. The book of certitude by bahaullah, paperback barnes.
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