The first duty prescribed by god for his servants is the recognition of him who is the dayspring of his revelation and the fountain of his laws, who representeth the godhead in both the kingdom of his. Shoghi effendis only book, god passes by, is a central text covering the history of the faith from 1844 to 1944. It preaches the oneness of god, the unity of all faiths, universal education and the harmony of all people, but has no priesthood and few formal rituals. In 1873, bahaullah completed his most important work, the most holy book kitabiaqdas, written in the house of udi khammar, now part of the house of abbud. Tenth annual convention of the bahais of america, 1918. Bahaullah writes his most holy book the life of baha.
Browse books, sorted by title, all languages bahai library. Every other book on this site is secondary to these. The kitabi iqan book of certitude is one of bahaullahs major works. An introduction to the bahai faith the british library. This little booklet holds enough spiritual guidance to meet the needs and attract hearts of anyone willing to read it, yet it is small enough to slip in a purse or coat pocket.
The bahai faiths relationship with islam can be compared to the christian relationship with judaism. God, bahaullah said, has set in motion historical forces that are breaking down traditional. Shaikhism centered on theosophical doctrines and believed that a perfect shi. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Buddhism 376 million followers tripitaka pali canon 5. At the time of the founding of the bahai faith, many bahais acknowledged their muslims roots yet asserted their religion as an entirely new tradition, as bahais have their own holy books, principles and laws. There are over 5 million bahais represented in 188 countries around the world today. Bahaullah the kitabiaqdas the most holy book epistle to the son of the wolf gleanings from the writings of bahaullah the hidden words of bahaullah the kitabiiqan the book of certitude prayers and meditations proclamation of bahaullah the seven valleys and the four valleys tablets of bahaullah revealed after the kitabiaqdas. The work was written in arabic under the arabic title alkitabu laqdas arabic. The bahai faith has some five million adherents around the world. The progressive tradition of bahaullahs forgotten family behai, shua ullah, stetson, eric on. It is sometimes also referred to as the most holy book, the book of laws or the book of aqdas.
It is one of the nine holy days of the year when work is suspended and children are exempted from attending school. The kitabiaqdas or aqdas is the central book of the baha. This site offers free and instant downloads of bahai sacred and authoritative texts in both epub and mobi compatible with kindle formats courtesy of the bahais of the united states. Contact the uhj the descendant of king david must be the president executive branch of bahaullahs universal house of justice so we can recognize the true uhj from fakes, frauds, and imitations.
The canonical texts are the writings of the bab, baha. Study the holy words, read your bible, read the holy books, especially study the holy utterances of bahaullah. Holy kitab i aqdas english holy kitab i iqan english epistle to the son of the wolf prayers and meditations by bahaullah pdf. What is the bahai view on why there was holy war in. This book tells the story of the bahai faith through the eyes of some of the.
Bahaullahs book of laws, written in arabic around 1873 while he was still imprisoned within the city of akka. Thats not an easy question to answer, ill admit, since the bahai writings constitute a vast ocean of knowledge and inspiration. It grew out of the shiite branch of the muslim faith the faith was proclaimed by a young iranian, who called. Through many stories and vignettes, as well as a history of his life, this book presents perhaps the most comprehensive biography of abdulbaha available. Humanity, in its written history of maybe the past six thousand years, has seen hundreds if not. Holy kitab i aqdas english holy kitab i aqdas arabic holy kitab i iqan english holy kitab i iqan arabic epistle to the son of the wolf. When i give that advice to friends and seekers, it usually results in a single question. The first gladtidings which the mother book hath, in this most great revelation, imparted unto all the peoples of the world is that the law of holy war hath be. Religion is the light of the world, and the progress, achievement, and happiness of man result from obedience to the laws set down in the holy books. The kitabiaqdas bahai reference library the bahai faith. Sometimes considerable overlap between these forms can be observed in a particular text. The first three periods form the apostolic or heroic age. Compilation of the holy utterances of bahaollah and abdul baha concerning the most great peace, war, and duty of the bahais toward their government.
Overview of baha i history, teachings, and scripture, with many photographs and illustrations. In the tablet of glad tidings bisharat, bahaullah writes o people of the earth. Bahai articles, books, translations, and historical materials. Bahais elect leaders for their community, to help organize their activities, and to deal with problems between members, and to decide things that are not obvious from the. He himself worked on the codification, but had not finished it. Bahaism as a religion had as its background two earlier and much different movements in nineteenthcentury shi. Brief history of the bahai faith compiled by local spiritual assembly of the bahais of boise, idaho. He is the author of several books in the field of bahai studies, including the babi and bahaii religions cambridge university press and the bahai faith.
This site offers free and instant downloads of bahai sacred and authoritative texts as audio books as zipped files in mp3 format courtesy of the bahais of the united states. The kitabiaqdas the most holy book bahaullahs book of laws, written in arabic around 1873 while he was still imprisoned within the city of akka. But bahais have many holy books, not just oneso where do i start. The guardian of the bahai faith, shoghi effendi, translated multiple books into english, wrote one book of bahai history and also wrote more than 17,000 letters, including lengthy essays, treatises, monographs and compilations on a wide range of bahairelated subjects, many of which have now been published as fulllength books. The bahai religion has a short, but important history and learning it is necessary to understanding the bahai worldview. The bahai faith began to take its present form in 1844 in iran. The writings of the bab and bahaullah are regarded as divine revelation the writings of abdulbaha are recognised as sacred the scriptures of other faiths, which. Bahaullahs most important book is the book of laws, also called the most holy book kitabiaqdas, which was completed in the house of abbud around 1873. He proclaimed a spiritual doctrine emphasizing the forthcoming appearance of a new prophet or messenger of god who would overturn old beliefs and customs and usher in a new era. Uk bahai histories individual stories of uk bahais. Abdulbaha was one of the most outstanding, active and exemplary people in human spiritual history. An introductory book for people new to the baha i faith, in audiobook format.
It was created and is maintained under the auspices of the national spiritual assembly of the bahais of the united states, the ninemember elected governing body of the u. He was exiled to the holy land in 1868 and spent the rest of his life there. The book outlines the essential laws and principles to be observed by his followers, lays the groundwork for bahai institutions, and articulates his vision for the development of human civilization. It was supplemented by later writings and by bahaullahs replies to a series of questions posed by one of his secretaries. The progressive tradition of bahaullahs forgotten family. The first epoch centres around the youthful and gentle bab meaning the gate, also known as the forerunner of the ancient beauty, whose brief tumultuous ministry prepared the way for the longawaited coming of the promised messenger of god. These stories are personal recollections by the individuals concerned. The project is sponsored by the national spiritual assembly of the bahais of the uk. With the declaration of the bab in 12601844, followed by his being accepted as the promised qa. What are the top ten religions and what is the holy book. Several are available in multiple editions, depending on your budget and intended recipient. History of the baha i faith the bahai faith was founded in iran in the mid19th century by mirza hoseyn ali nuri, who is known as bahaullah, which in arabic. The uk bahai histories project is collecting the stories of individual bahais who currently live in the uk, or have lived here in the past. The bahai faith offers a clear analysis of the religious and ethical values on which the bahai.