The Morning of Your Lives: Talk given at a Hawaiian Youth Conference - Faizi,Abu'l-Qasim (British Bahai Journal, 1975)
A very short published talk.
While this item is very short, it is posted as a separate document because (1) it was published on its own and (2) it comprises its own chapter in Conqueror of Hearts.
Keywords: Abu'l-Qasim Faizi; Dualism; Hawaii, USA; Service; Servitude; Talks; Youth

The Most Holy Book: Parallel Translation of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas - Bahá'u'lláh (1901)
Two translations, side-by-side: the authorized one (1992) and a more literal one by Anton Haddad (1901). Includes image-scan of Haddad's translation.
See also a scan of a typed copy of Haddad's translation: bahaullah_kitab-i-aqdas_haddad.pdf [PDF, 2MB]. The colophon on page 49 gives the history of this particular document (though the name of the typist is not noted). For another old translation of the Aqdas, by Earl Elder commissioned by William Miller (1961), see the "multilinear translation."
Keywords: Anton Haddad; Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Most Holy Book); Translation; Translation, Parallel

The Mountain of God - Stevens,E. S. (World Order, 1911)
Book excerpts, sympathetic portrayal by a non-Bahá'í of Abdu'l-Bahá and the small band of Bahá’ís who lived in Haifa and 'Akká early in 20th Century.
World Order excerpted this book in a two-part serial in 1970. The preface and dedication praise Abdul Baha and apologizing for attempting to portray Him in a work of fiction. He emphasizes that he has the greatest respect for the Bahá'ís and that his intentions in writing a novel are "honest." The editors wrote that they were not able to find out who E.S. Stevens was (below). Denis MacEoin identified her as "a minor novelist, later better known (as Lady Drower) for her excellent academic studies of Mandaean religion and culture." PDF below exported from the Microsoft Word version (prepared by Alexander Meinhard).
Keywords: E.S. Drower (E.S. Stevens); Fiction; Haifa, Israel; Literature; Literature, English; Mount Carmel; `Abdu'l-Bahá

The Mystery of Consciousness: Learning from Neuroscience and Insights from Bahá'í Sacred Writings - Khodadad,Jena Khadem (Lights of Irfan, 2019)
On the neural basis of consciousness; the concepts of mind and soul as presented in the Bahá’í writings; whether consciousness may continue after the death of the brain; and if explanations lie in quantum mechanics.
Mirrored with permission from http://irfancolloquia.org/u/khodadad_consciousness.
Keywords: Consciousness; Life after death (afterlife); Mind; Philosophy; Soul

The Mystery of Divinity: A Comparison of Traditional Views of Divinity to Those in Some Answered Questions - Thomas,James B. (Lights of Irfan, 2011)
A new paradigm of spiritual evolution, and a possible platform for philosophical dissertation regarding religious influence on secular matters in the modern world.
Mirrored with permission from irfancolloquia.org/95/thomas_divinity.
Keywords: Divinity; Philosophy; Some Answered Questions (book)

The Mystery of God - Muhajir,Iran Furutan, compiler (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1971)
Text extracted from a book of rare photographs of 'Abdu'l-Bahá accompanied by extracts from the writings of Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi.
The PDF below is just the text of the book, missing the many photographs. Order the actual book from bahaibookstore.com/Mystery-of-God-P6756.aspx (revised edition with digitally restored photographs, 2012).
Keywords: `Abdu'l-Bahá

The Mystery of Martyrdom - Shahrokh,Darius; Shahrokh,Grace (Windows to the Past, 1992)
Life stories of many early martyrs, and some explanations of what inspires self-sacrifice.
From a series of deepening talks prepared from Persian and English sources, distributed on cassette tape in the 1990s and converted to online audio in the 2000s. See About Windows to the Past.
Keywords: Iran (documents); Martyrdom; Persecution; Persecution, Deaths; Persecution, Iran; Sacrifice

The Mystery of the Sworded Warrior in Hindu Apocalypse: Was Kalki Visnuyas Bahá'u'lláh? - Buck,Christopher (1980)
Does Bahá'u'lláh fulfill messianic expectations associated with Kalki Vishnuyasas, the tenth incarnation of Vishnu who shall appear as a sword-wielding warrior riding a winged white steed, to slay the wicked and inaugurate the golden age?
Paper first presented at the American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature, Vancouver, BC (1981). See also the
Keywords: Hinduism; Interfaith dialogue; Prophecies

The Mystic Cup: Essential Mystical Nature of the Bahá'í Faith - Jones,LeRoy (Lights of Irfan, 2001)
Although the Bahá’í Faith is fundamentally mystic in character, American Bahá’ís often do not even understand what  mysticism is. Heart-centered mystic oneness is crucial in individual, societal, and adminstrative spiritual transformation.
See also Jones' related pilgrim's notes. Presented as a homework assignment for the Wilmette Institute's "Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh" Course, year one, 03/1998. Later delivered to the Irfan Colloquia and then published in Lights of Irfan 2. Presented at the Irfan Colloquia Session #32, Bosch Bahá'í School California (November 23-6, 2000). Mirrored with permission from irfancolloquia.org/32/jones_mystic.
Keywords: Heart; Irfan Colloquia; Mysticism; Spiritualization; Transformation; Unity

The Mystic Journey of the Soul - Zaman,Gul Afroz (Singapore Baha'i Studies Review, 1998)
On the journey a soul must make to attain union with the Eternal from the confines of material life on earth; Christian and Sufi esoteric traditions vs. Bahá'í mysticism; the central theme of attaining a "Heavenly Homeland" and closeness with the Creator.
See the table of contents, editor's note, and biographical data in the complete issue, vol. 3.
Keywords: Christianity; Dualism; God; Haft Vádí (Seven Valleys); Interfaith dialogue; Monism; Mysticism; Soul; Sufism

The Mystic's Flight: The Parable of Majnún and Laylí - McLean,Jack (2001)
This classic love tale of the Middle East, quoted by Bahá'u'lláh in the Seven Valleys, is prized by Sufi mystics as a spiritual allegory of the soul's search for union with God. A literary-critical analysis of the text yields theological clues.
Presented at the Irfán Colloquium Session #36, London School of Economics (July 14, 2001). Mirrored with permission from jack-mclean.com.
Keywords: Arts and crafts; Haft Vádí (Seven Valleys); Leyli and Majnun; Literature; Literature, Persian; Love; Metaphors and allegories; Morality; Mysticism; Nizami (poet); Poetry; Rumi (Mevlana); Stories; Sufism

The Mystical Dimensions of the Bahá'í Administrative Order - Milani,Kavian Sadeghzade (Lights of Irfan, 2002)
The Bahá'i Administrative Order can be seen as a mystical entity, and there are some parallels between it and Sufism. For Bahá'is the encounter with the Administrative Order is critical to the mystical path.
Presented at the Irfan Colloquia Session #36, London (July 13-15, 2001). Mirrored with permission from irfancolloquia.org/36/milani_mystical.
Keywords: Administrative Order; Appointed arm; Irfan Colloquia; Laws; Mysticism; Nineteen Day Feast; Pen; Rulers and learned; Theosophy

The Names of the Bahá'í Months: Separating Fact from Fiction - Momen,Moojan (2012)
A blog post, compiled for the Wilmette Institute, on the original source of the names of the months of the Badí calendar — taken from a dawn prayer by the Fifth Shí’í Imám, Muhammad al-Báqir, for the month of Ramadan.
Mirrored from archive.org.
Keywords: Badi calendar; God, Names of; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Nineteen Day Feast; Questions and answers; Words and phrases

The National Convention - Universal House of Justice (1992)
Also available as a nicely-formatted PDF, prepared by Romane Takkenberg.
Keywords: Administration; Conventions; Conventions, National; Elections; National Spiritual Assemblies

The National Convention - Abdul-Bahá; Shoghi Effendi; Universal House of Justice (Compilation of Compilations, 2000)
Also available as a nicely-formatted PDF, prepared by Romane Takkenberg. Add or read quotations or links pertaining to this work here.
Keywords: Administration; Conventions; Conventions, National; Elections; National Spiritual Assemblies

The National Spiritual Assembly - Universal House of Justice; Holley,Horace (Baha'i World, 1986)
Includes Holley's brief overview of the nature of an NSA and the history of Bahá`í Temple Unity, NSA by-laws and a list of new NSAs as of 1980-1983.
See Bahá'í World volume 18 table of contents.
Keywords: Administration; By-laws; National Spiritual Assemblies

The Nature and Challenge of Tests - Khan,Peter J. (1995)
An address by Dr. Khan, of the Universal House of Justice, at the Bahá'í House of Worship at Wilmette.
See also two talks by Khan on the same topic also from 1995, Mental Tests and an audio recording called Victories and Crises, and a 1995 letter from the Universal House of Justice on Mental Tests. Posted with permission of Dr. Khan.
Keywords: Mental tests; Peter Khan; Tests and difficulties

The Nature of God: Some Extracts from the Bahá'í Writings - Bahá'u'lláh; Abdul-Bahá; Shoghi Effendi (1992)
Brief compilation on nature of God.
This compilation was included with a letter from the House, online here: Goddess Religion, Ancient.
Keywords: Gender; God; God, Gender of; Interfaith dialogue; Philosophy; Theology

The Nature of Human Nature - Hatcher,John S. (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2017)
"From the Editor's Desk": Introduction to this issue's two articles: Ian Kluge's on human nature and Patricia McIlvride’s on mental disorders and depression, stigma, and the soul.
Mirrored from journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/issue/archive. See also the complete issue [PDF].
Keywords: Depression; Human nature; John Hatcher; Philosophy; Psychology

The Navajo Tradition: Transition to the Bahá'í Faith - Covey,Linda S. (Images, imaginations, and beyond: proceedings of the 8th Native American Symposium, November 2009, 2010)
Examines three reasons behind the conversion of some Navajo to Bahá'í in the early 1960s: fulfillment of prophecy, cultural empowerment and autonomy, and protection of traditional practices.
This document is online at se.edu/nas/publications.
Keywords: Conversion; Cultural diversity; Indigenous people; Interfaith dialogue; Native Americans; Navajo people; Prophecies

The Navjote of a Converted Zoroastrian Bahai - Dhalla,Maneckji Nuserwanji (Dastur Dhalla, the Saga of a Soul: Autobiography of Shams-ul-ulama Dastur Dr. Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla, 1975)
Overview of the Faith, and the author's interactions with Bahá'ís in the early 1900s. (Navjote is the initiation ceremony where a child receives his/her ceremonial garments and first performs the Zoroastrian ritual.)
Complete text is online at avesta.org/dhalla/saga.htm. PDF below from Microsoft Word version prepared by Mike Thomas (2022). See also Appendix F: Indian Zoroastrians and the Bahá'í Faith in Zoroastrian Conversions to the Bahá'í Faith in Yazd, Iran, pp. 102-104 (Maneck, 1983).
Keywords: Biography; Conversion; India; Interfaith dialogue; Iran (documents); Karachi, Pakistan; Mumbai, India; New York, USA; Opposition; Pakistan; Pune, India; Tehran, Iran; United States (documents); Zoroastrianism

The Necessity for Prayer - Abdul-Bahá (2024)
Extract from a Tablet of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá.
Mirrored from bahai.org/library, section "Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks". PDF dated February 2024.
Keywords: Creation; Criticism and apologetics; God; God, Grace and bounty of; Healing prayer, Short; Prayer

The Need for an Integrative Conceptual Framework for Addressing Mental Health Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Jalalizadeh,Bayan (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2022)
Overview of the state of mental health and illness in the world during the Covid pandemic, summary of the prevailing frameworks and practices, and a potential framework which could guide a response to current mental health challenges.
Issue date 2021, published 2022 January. Mirrored from journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/297. See also the complete issue "Walking the Mystic Path with Practical Feet". [PDF]
Keywords: Covid-19 (Corona virus); Health and healing; Mental health; Psychology

The New Age: Warwick Leaflets - Warwick Bahá'í Bookshop (1992)
Keywords: Introductory; New Age

The New Atheism: A Bahá'í Perspective - Kluge,Ian (Lights of Irfan, 2009)
Logically and philosophically speaking, the works of the "new atheists" are deeply flawed and are often in disagreement with the Bahá’í Writings – though on a number of issues there are points of agreement.
First posted online in 2009 at bahai-studies.ca (see original version, archived), later published in 2012 in Lights of Irfan.
Keywords: Atheism; God; Philosophy; Proofs; Reason; Science

The New Day: The Bahá'í Revelation - Remey,Charles Mason (Bahá'í Publishing Society, 1919)
"A brief statement of its history and teachings" in summary form. Opens with short "dissertation by Abdu'l-Bahá upon the New Day."
Two versions are given below: a PDF scan, which has been stripped of blank pages, and a corrected text copy. See similar content in "The Bahá'í Movement for Universal Religion" (1912). While Remey later broke the covenant (see uhj_mason_remey_followers), at the time he wrote this paper he was an influential figure in the Bahá'í community and was later appointed Hand of the Cause. This document is thus not "covenant-breaker" material.

The New Garden: An Introduction to the Bahá'í Faith - Fatheazam,Hushmand (Juxta Publishing Limited; Baha'i Publishing Trust, 2002)
A widely-shared introductory text summarizing Bahá'í history and teachings.
Mirrored with permission from juxta.com/ebooks/the-new-garden/. See publisher's electronic distribution license.
Keywords: Basics; Introductory

The New History (tarikh-i-jadid) of Mirza Ali-Muhammed the Bab - Hamadani,Husayn (Cambridge University Press, 1893)
Detailed history of the Bab, translated into English. Also known as Tarikh-i Badi'-i Bayani.
This entire book is also online in other formats at archive.org, two of which are archived here: 1893 Cambridge edition [27 MB) and 1975 Philo reprint [22 MB). See publishing history at worldcat.org.
Keywords: Báb, The; Bábí history; E. G. Browne; Hájí Mírzá Jani Kashani; Iran (documents); Taríkh-i-Jadíd (New History)

The New Leaven: Progressive Education and Its Effect upon the Child and Society - Cobb,Stanwood (John Day Company, 1928)
On principles of the new education; revolutionizing pedagogy and transforming the child; importance of social engagement in schools; the ages of enrollment of children and preparatory schools, from nursery-primary through secondary school to college.
From hathitrust.org/Record/006539043.
Keywords: Children; Education; Stanwood Cobb

The New morality: An outline - Schaefer,Udo (Baha'i Studies Review, 1995)
Proposal that Bahá'u'lláh's ethical teachings rest on metaphysical premises about God and humankind, specifically the teleological and the deontological.
Keywords: Ethics; God; Philosophy; Udo Schaefer; Virtues

The New Revelation: Its Marvelous Message - Fitzgerald,Nathan Ward (1905)
Summary of the proclamation and teachings of the Bahá'í Faith by an early American believer.
PDF from books.google.com. See also bahaipedia.org/Nathan_Ward_Fitzgerald.

The New World Order: Warwick Leaflets - Warwick Bahá'í Bookshop (1995)
Keywords: Introductory; Peace; World order

The New World-Religion - Strong,Josia (Doubleday, Page & Company, 1915)
Mention of Babism in the context of new faiths supplanting individualistic Christianity.

"The Newly born babe of that Day": Mysticism in the Age of the Maturity of Humankind - Savi,Julio (Lights of Irfan, 2006)
The dynamic historical processes impacting mysticism. As the Bahá'í Revelation is the revelation of the maturity of humankind, it is free from certain flaws that in the past implied an early development of certain spiritually unacceptable behaviors.
Presented at the Irfan Colloquia Session #62, Centre for Bahá'í Studies, Acuto, Italy (July 8-12, 2005). Mirrored with permission from irfancolloquia.org/62/savi_mysticism.
Keywords: Irfan Colloquia; Maturity of humanity; Mysticism; Philosophy

The Next Five Years: An Internet Perspective - Wasley,Marc (75 Years of the Bahá'í Faith in Australasia, 1996)
Some predictions (made in 1996) of how the Internet will change and how Bahá'ís can make best use of it.
This document is no longer available at its original host; mirrored from archive.org.
Keywords: Internet

The Next Stage - Martin,Douglas (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2013)
Bahá'í scholars find themselves at a stage in the Faith’s development where they must construct a discourse that is free of "haughty intellectualism." The Association for Bahá’í Studies can help promote the Bahá'í cause to institutions of higher learning.
Mirrored from journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/392. See also original scan.
Keywords: Bahá'í Faith, Evolutionary nature of; Bahá'í Studies, Associations for; Bahá'í studies; Culture, Western; Decline and renewal of religion; Equality; Ethics; Growth; Human rights; Independent investigation of truth; Institute process; Integration and disintegration; Intellectualism; Manifestations of God; Materialism; Morality; Persecution; Persecution, Iran; Prejudice; Priesthood; Progressive revelation; Public discourse (discourses of society); Scholarship; Science; Social change; Statistics; Transformation; United Nations; Unity; Unity in diversity; Universities; Women

The Nine Valleys - Towards Embodied Experience: Understanding the Confluence of Material and Spirit in the Design of a Bahá'í House of Worship - Haghighi,Vedad (2022)
Detailed proposal, with extensive site photographs and illustrations, for a Mashriqu'l-Adhkar in Thorhill, Ontario (location of the Canada Bahá'í National Centre); discussion of the embodied experience of worship in a temple to promote unity. (offsite)
Thesis for Masters of Architecture, Carleton University. The thesis is online at curve.carleton.ca/6357c8d8-ffd0-475c-b4ad-af8318b92a8f
Keywords: Architecture; Canada; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Toronto; Ontario, Canada; Toronto, ON

The Nine Year Plan and the Destiny of America - National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States (2024)
On this time of great historical consequence and a gathering storm: America to be the standard-bearer; a still more superb mission; advancing within an evolving framework; a profound alteration of thought; the youth must soar; through living sacrifice.
Also available in Persian and Spanish.

The Nine Year Plan: 2022-2031 - Universal House of Justice (Palabra Publications, 2021)
9 letters from November 2021 to January 2022, addressed to the Bahá'í world, Continental Counsellors, Auxiliary Board members, and National Spiritual Assemblies. Link to free download of book (offsite).
Mirrored with licence permission from palabrapublications.com. See the chart on page 93 posted separately here. See also 5-Year Plan 2006-2011, 5-Year Plan 2011-2016, and 1-Year Plan 2021-2022. See also Message to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors on the 9 Year Plan (2020-12-30), which includes links to study guides, outlines, and translations.
Keywords: Community building; Institute process; Nine Year Plan (2022-2031); Plans; Social action; Society building

The Nine-Pointed Star: History and Symbolism - Universal House of Justice (1999)
The history and the proper place and use of the nine-pointed star, a common Bahá'í symbol, in comparison and relation to the official five-pointed star and the Greatest Name symbols.
Keywords: Five (number); Five-pointed star; Greatest Name; Nine (number); Nine-pointed star; Numerology; Research Department, Questions and answers; Symbolism

The Ninth cycle of the Bahá'í calendar - Nakhjavani,Ali (American Baha'i, 2015)
Essay clarifying some technical issues involved with calculating lunar calendars, and how to appreciate the timing and implications of the Universal House of Justice's 2014 update to the Badí` calendar.
See also "Regarding the implementation of the Badi` calendar," and see a downloadable app and online converter at badi-calendar.com.
Keywords: Badi calendar; Cycles, Eras, Ages and Epochs; `Alí Nakhjavání

The Non-Political Character of the Bahá'í Faith: Excerpts from the Writings of Shoghi Effendi - Shoghi Effendi (Baha'i World, 1986)
Published as Section 6 of Bahá'í World 18, preceding a section on "Relationship to Government."
See Bahá'í World volume 18 table of contents.
Keywords: Politics

The Number 19 in the Qur'an - Lomax,Abdulrahman (1995)
Discussion of a study by a Muslim which purports to demonstrate that the Qur'an is comprised of mystical units of 19. No mention of the Bahá'í Faith.
See also The Mysterious 19 in the Quran: A Critical Evaluation, Mathematical Miracle of the Quran, and Ten Bizarre Facts About the N/19 Magic Square (all offsite).
Keywords: Disconnected letters of the Quran; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Nineteen (number); Numerology; Quran

The Numinous Land: Examples of sacred geometry and geopiety in formalist and landscape paintings of the prairies - Ennis,Kim (2012)
Includes many references to the Bahá'í Faith and its influence on contemporary artists. Link to thesis (offsite).
Thesis for Master of Arts in Art History, University of Saskatchewan.
Keywords: Arts and crafts; Native Americans; Painting; United States (documents)

The Oath of the Prophet Mohammed to the Followers of the Nazarene - Muhammad (Board of Counsel, 1902)
Promise of fair-treatment from Muhammad to the Christians, with commentary by Imam Ali, given in the year A.H. 2 (623 A.D.), published by the Bahá'ís as a 7-page booklet.
See also page scans at end, as posted at h-net.org. Spelling uncorrected; names like Mohammed follow old transliterations. See also the Wikipedia article about this document.
Keywords: Anton Haddad; Christianity; Egypt; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Mount Sinai, Egypt; Muhammad (Prophet); Tolerance

"'The Objectivity Question' and Bahá'í Studies: A Reply to MacEoin" and "A Few Words in Response to Cole's 'Reply to MacEoin'" - Cole,Juan; MacEoin,Denis (British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 1991)
Two responses to MacEoin's article "Crisis in Bábí and Bahá'í Studies."
See related discussions in Debates between MacEoin et al., especially MacEoin's original article.
Keywords: Bahá'í studies; Criticism and apologetics; Scholarship

The Ocean of His Utterances - Ives,Howard Colby (1963)
Unpublished study course in the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh using the books of Bahá'u'lláh, Abdu'l‑Baha, and Shoghi Effendi, compiled and with commentary by Ives. Not yet formatted.
Inspired by this book, Ives' granddaughter Barbara Ives created her own Deepening Course on the Bahá'í Revelation. Proofread and formatted by Ernie Jones, 2017. Also available in Open Office format.
Keywords: Deepening; Human nature; Meditation; Philosophy; Prayer; Soul; Teachings

The Old Churches and the New World-Faith - Townshend,George (National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'í of the British Isles, 1949)
Pamphlet publication of Townshend's letter of renunciation of the Anglican Church and proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh.
In 1947, at the age of 70, Townshend renounced his orders to the Anglican Church and wrote a pamphlet to all Christians under the title "The Old Churches and the New World Faith" that was sent out to 10,000 so-called "responsible people" in the British Isles on the occasion of this resignation. (Bahá'í World, Vol. XIII, p. 841) The PDF below is generated from an updated Microsoft Word document, prepared by Mike Thomas (2022; transcription errors corrected, quotes properly spaced, translations updated, footnotes added to quotes, and bibliography added). See also scan of original (without footnotes).
Keywords: Christianity; Decline and renewal of religion; George Townshend; Integration and disintegration; Interfaith dialogue; Ireland; Proclamation; Prophecies; Return; Secularism; Tablets to kings and rulers; United Kingdom

The One Who Related the Existence of the Qáʼim - Bahá'u'lláh (2015)
One-paragraph passage related to the coming of the Mahdi.
From Ma`idih-yi Asmani (Heavenly Spread) 1:7 (scan or download). Mirrored with permission from adibmasumian.com.
Keywords: Hidden Imam; Imams; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Mahdi (Mihdi); Qaim; Shia Islam (Shiism); Twelfth Imam

The One Year Plan: 2021-2022 - Universal House of Justice (Palabra Publications, 2021)
Letter "To the Bahá’ís of the World" (5 November 2020), Ridvan message (20 April 2021), and a chart "Unfoldment of the Divine Plan" (2021). Link to free download of book (offsite).
See the chart on page 27 posted separately here. See also 5-Year Plan 2006-2011, 5-Year Plan 2011-2016, and 9-Year Plan 2022-2031.
Keywords: Cycles, Eras, Ages and Epochs; Five Year Plan (2016-2021); Institute process; Public discourse (discourses of society); Ridván messages; Social action; Twelve Month Plan (2021-2022)

The Oneness of Mankind: Basic Principle of the Bahá'í Faith - National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States (Baha'i News, 1956)
Statement of Bahá'í teachings prepared in order to clarify the position of members of the Faith throughout the United States at this critical hour, published as an insert in the U.S. Bahá'í newsletter.
Mirrored from bahai.works. In the first sentence, "Bahá'í World Faith" has been replaced with the current term "Bahá'í Faith".
Keywords: Diversity; Equality; Interracial marriage; Introductory; National Spiritual Assembly, statements; Politics; Race; Statements; United States (documents); Unity; Unity of humanity

The Oneness of Reality: A Response to Moojan Momen's "Relativism as a Basis for Baha'i Metaphysics" - Terry,Peter (2018)
Dialogue on epistemology and ontology as presented in the core literature of the Baha’i religion.
See also Momen's original article "Relativism: A Basis For Bahá'í Metaphysics" (1988).
Keywords: Buddhism; Christianity; Cosmology; Dualism; Hinduism; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Judaism; Metaphysics; Monism; Philosophers; Philosophy; Philosophy, Buddhist; Philosophy, Greek; Philosophy, Hindu; Philosophy, Islamic; Progressive revelation; Relativism; Sufism; Theology; Unity

The Oneness of the Reality of Humankind - Author unknown (Report of the annual Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration, 1912)
Summary of Bahá'í principles: investigation of reality, oneness of humanity, harmony of science and religion, religion as the bond that unites mankind, elimination of prejudices, gender equality, economic equality, and humanity's need for the Holy Spirit.
Mirrored from archive.org. Also online at centenary.bahai.us/talk/oneness-reality-humankind-0.
Keywords: Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration; Principles; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Talks at other places

The Opening of the Academic Mind: The Challenges Facing a Culture in Crisis - Bushrui,Suheil Badi (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2004)
Perspective on the state of the academy: reforms essential to the progress and development of society: the central place of teaching in the curriculum; humility in place of intellectual arrogance; abrogating the practice of "publish or perish."

The Opening of the Terraces (May 2001): Reflections of a Participant - Batchelor,Thelma (2001)
Contemporary pilgrim's note from May 20-26, 2001, witnessing the historic completion of the Arc project.
Mirrored with permission from listserver posting to bahai-discuss, 2001/06/10. See also Opening the Terraces on Mt. Carmel.
Keywords: Báb, Shrine of (Haifa); Pilgrims notes; Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb (Haifa)

The Oriental Rose: The Teachings of Abdul Baha Which Trace the Chart of "The Shining Pathway" - Ford,Mary Hanford (Bahá'í Publishing Society, 1910)
Early summary of the history of the Faith by a pilgrim who met Abdu'l-Bahá, including content from Nicolas' book Seyyed Ali Mohammed Dit Le Bab.
Online in various formats at archive.org. This copy scanned By A. Rabbani (2005), typed by C. Smith (2005), OCRed by M. Thomas (2014), formatted/proofed by J. Winters (2014). Also available as a formatted, annotated Word document prepared by M. Thomas (2014).
Keywords: Bahá'u'lláh; Báb, The; Introductory; `Abdu'l-Bahá

The Orientation of Hope and Lessons in World Crisis - Locke,Alain (Baha'i World, 1936)
Two essays meditating on the relevance of Bahá'í principles to the period preceding and during the Second World War.
These are two separate essays (in vol. 5, published 1936, and vol. 9, published 1945) which are combined together for simplicity, and because they seem too short to merit their own pages.
Keywords: Crisis; Hope; Integration and disintegration; Interfaith dialogue; Philosophy; Public discourse (discourses of society); Unity; War; World War II

The Origin of the Bahá'í Principle of the Harmony between Science and Religion - Brown,Keven (2001)
On the origin of the principle of scientific/religious harmony in Islamic and Bahá’í Writings, and discussion of a letter by Abdu'l-Bahá on the topic.
Talk prepared for the 2001 ABS-North America conference‏. See also Abdu'l-Bahá's tablet.
Keywords: Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Philosophy; Science

The Pageant of Persia: A Record of Travel by Motor in Persia with an Account of Its Ancient and Modern Ways - Filmer,Henry (Kegan Paul, 1937)
Three-page overview of Bábí and Bahá'í history, with many more pages of description of Persian culture and history included for context.

The Paradox of Protest in a Culture of Contest - Karlberg,Michael (Peace and Change, 2003)
In our culture, political and legal institutions are structured as contests and reform is characterized as protest. This leads to injustice and unsustainability. Bahá'í models of elections and decision-making offer a practical alternative.
Mirrored with permission from author's website, myweb.wwu.edu [archive.org]
Keywords: Administration; Change; Consultation; Contest; Culture, Western; Elections; Environment; Injustice; Justice; Laws; Materialism; Philosophy; Politics; Protest; Reform; Transformation

The Paranoid Style in Iranian Politics - Abrahamian,Ervand (Khomeinism: Essays on the Islamic Republic, 1993)
A seminal essay which mentions contemporary Iranian attitudes toward the Bahá'ís. Includes three other mentions of the Bahá'í Faith elsewhere in the book in which this essay was first published.
The essay was originally written as a single chapter in a book published in 1993, and reprinted as a stand-alone article, with permission of author, at www.pbs.org in 2009. The other excerpts were scanned separately.
Keywords: Iran (documents); Iran, General history; Opposition; Persecution; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other

The Passing of Abdu'l-Baha - Shoghi Effendi; Blomfield,Lady Sarah Louisa (Rosenfeld Bros., 1922)
A compilation on the last days of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, his funeral, and tributes on his behalf. Later published in abridged form in World Order.
This text is a formatted version of the original book published in 1922, with English translation of two passages which were in French in the original, added from the abridgement of the book published in World Order 6:1 (Fall 1971), 6-18. Page numbers refer to original publication. [-M.W., 1998] Add or read comments pertaining to this work here. See a newer version of this essay, posted in 2021 to bahai.org.
Keywords: 1335 days; Biography; Daniel (Bible); Day-year principle; Haifa, Israel; Lady Sarah Louisa Blomfield; Prophecies; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Ascension of

The Passing of Shoghi Effendi, Ministry of the Hands of the Cause, and Defection of Mason Remey - Vafai,Shahin (The Essence of the Covenant: Features, History, and Implications, 2005)
See also excerpts from Chapter 6 and Chapter 8 of the same book.
Keywords: Covenant; Covenant-breaking; Custodians; Guardianship; Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Activities; Mason Remey; Shoghi Effendi, Passing of; Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá

The Passing of Shoghi Effendi: 1896-1957 - Khanum,Ruhiyyih; Ferraby,John (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1958)
Detailed account of the final days of the life of the Guardian.
This document is also available as a PDF scan of the original. Also online at bahai.org.
Keywords: Amatul-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum; Biography; John Ferraby; Shoghi Effendi; Shoghi Effendi, Passing of

The Passionate Artist - Price,Ron (Australian Baha'i Studies, 2000)
Essay on the inner life and private character, and the origins of the author's own creative inspiration.
See also the rest of this issue.
Keywords: Arts and crafts; Ron Price

The Path of Beauty: The Literary Life of Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum - Hutchison,Sandra Lynn (World Order, 1999)
An extensive review of the varied literary works of Ruhiyyih Khanum – poems, plays, ethical guidance, practical guidelines for Baha’i pioneering and teaching, inspirational essays, literary and scriptural commentary, biography, and even a film script.
An article on Ruhiyyih Khanum's literary work, based on an interview. It appeared in the memorial issue of World Order devoted to her after her passing. Also online at bahai.works.
Keywords: Amatul-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum; Arts and crafts; Biography; Custodians; Death; Drama; Indigenous people; Meditation; Native Americans; Poetry; Prayer; Shoghi Effendi; Shoghi Effendi, Passing of; Teaching; Writing

The Path of God - Klebel,Wolfgang A. (Lights of Irfan, 2010)
A comparison of the 'Global Ethic' (Hans Küng) with the Bahá'í Faith. The core ethical principles found in all religions are the most likely first step towards the unification of all religions: an inspiration for Unity in Diversity.
Presented at the Irfan Colloquia Session #88, Bosch Bahá'í School, California (May 28-31, 2009). Mirrored with permission from irfancolloquia.org/88/klebel_path.
Keywords: Ethics; Hans Kung; Interfaith dialogue; Irfan Colloquia; Parliament of the World's Religions; Remover of Difficulties (invocation); Unity; Unity of religion

The Path to God: 1937 - Baker,Dorothy (1937)
Essay published as a pamphlet about the goal of life, revelation and access to heaven, self-improvement while on earth, prayer and spiritual surrender, loving the Messenger and following his teachings.
This pamphlet does not have a date; Collins' Bibliography lists it as "n.d., 193-, c1937." Also online at bahai.works/The_Path_to_God. See also another version of this essay (1956).
Keywords: Advancement of civilization; Arts and crafts; Certitude; Death; Decline and renewal of religion; Deeds; Dorothy Baker; God, Love of; God, Nearness to; God, Will of; God, Word of; Gold; Heart; Heaven and hell; Interfaith dialogue; Intolerance; Introductory; Life after death (afterlife); Love; Manifestations of God; Meditation; Mirrors; Peace; Prayer; Prayer; Prophecies; Purity; Race; Race unity; Religion (general); Return; Revelation; Sacrifice; Science; Service; Soul; Spirituality; Superstition; Tests and difficulties; Unity; Unity of humanity; Unity of religion; `Abdu'l-Bahá

The Path to God: 1956 - Baker,Dorothy (Baha'i World, 1956)
Some elements for spiritual success: power through prayer and nine benefits of prayer, victorious living, and immortality.
Text and PDF also online at bahai.works, and HTML also online at bahaitalks.blogspot.com. See also another version of this essay (1937).
Keywords: Concentration; Concourse on High; Death; Deeds; Detachment; Dorothy Baker; Family; Freedom and liberty; God, Love of; God, Nearness to; God, Will of; God, Worlds of; Health and healing; Intercession; Introductory; Life after death (afterlife); Love; Music; Parents; Power; Prayer; Prophecies; Protection; Radiant acquiescence; Recitation; Repetition; Return; Self; Soul; Spirituality; Teaching; Tests and difficulties; Unity; Work

The Pattern of Bahá'í life - Author unknown, compiler (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1948)
Quotes not readily available elsewhere online, from a compilation of Bahá'í Writings on personal character.
Below are listed only quotations not readily available elsewhere online (see p. 39 and 55) or linked citations otherwise. See also the complete compilation.
Keywords: Behavior; Ethics; Life (general); Living the life; Pattern of Bahá'í Life (compilation); Teachings

The Pattern of Bahá'í Life - Bahá'u'lláh; Abdul-Bahá; Shoghi Effendi (1948)
This compilation was first issued by the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles in 1948, and fully revised in 1990 on behalf of the Universal House of Justice by the National Spiritual Assembly of India.
The scanned publication (1953 edition) is available on Bahai.works (older translations).
Keywords: Basics; Deeds; Ethics; Hidden Words, First (Arabic); Life (general); Living the life; Pattern of Bahá'í Life (compilation); Virtues

The Paucity of Music in Bahá'í Devotional Practice and Considerations in the Composition of Music for Bahá'í Devotional Purposes - Knopf,Michael (1999)
Devotional music in Western communities is limited to local and popular expressions and Eastern chant; it is inconsistent. This study proposes ways in which music can be composed to meet these limitations within the guidelines found in the Writings.
Thesis prepared for the degree of Bachelor of Music, James Cook University, Queensland. See also Of Paramount Importance: Addressing the Paucity of Music in Bahá'í Devotional Practice (2000) and the author's Bahá'í or Spiritual Themed Musical Works.
Keywords: Music

The Peace of the World - Remey,Charles Mason (Bahá'í Publishing Society, 1919)
"A brief treatise upon the spiritual teaching of the Bahai religion with particular regard to its application to the great problem, now before the nations, of the establishment of an enduring world peace."
Two versions are given below: a PDF scan, and a corrected text copy. While Remey later broke the covenant (see uhj_mason_remey_followers), at the time he wrote this essay he was an influential figure in the Bahá'í community and was later appointed Hand of the Cause. This document is thus not "covenant-breaker" material.

The Permanence of Change: Contemporary Sociological and Bahá'í Perspectives - Mahmoudi,Hoda (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2008)
Sociohistorical changes of the Axial Age and the Renaissance, sociological views on modernity and its contemporary challenges, and key features of modernity as identified in the Bahá’í writings as "the universal awakening of historical consciousness."
Mirrored with permission from journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/143.
Keywords: Advancement of civilization; Axial Age; Buddhism; Century of Light (book); Change; Christianity; Civilization; Confucianism; Enlightenment (movement); Hinduism; History (general); Interfaith dialogue; Jainism; Judaism; Manichaeism; Materialism; Modernity; One Common Faith (commentary); Philosophy; Reform; Reformation (Christianity); Renaissance; Secret of Divine Civilization (book); Sociology; Zoroastrianism

The Persian Bayan and the Shaping of the Babi Renewal - Amanat,Abbas (Religious Texts in Iranian Languages, 2007)
On the Bábí Faith as a product of the religious environment of Shi'i Iran, including its esoteric culture and apocalyptic vision; the Bayán as a form of discourse; and how the Bayán marked a break with Islam.
From the proceedings of a symposium held at Copenhagen University, May 2002. Posted by publisher; full book is online at royalacademy.dk/Publications/Low/2085_.pdf. PDF below created from a Microsoft Word version prepared by M. Thomas (2022).
Keywords: Bayan-i-Farsi (Persian Bayan); Bábí history; Interfaith dialogue; Iran (documents); Islam

The Persian Bayan: From A.L.M. Nicolas' French translation - Báb, The (2001)
Four short chapters from The Báb's book of laws. Translation of Nicolas’s Le Beyán Persan, translated from the French, with reference to the Persian, by Ismael Velasco.
See also Nicolas' 4-volume French original, a complete translation of Nicolas' French into English by anonymous, E. G. Browne's A Summary of the Persian Bayan, Peter Terry's Summary and Thematic Analysis, an English rendering of Nicolas' French translation of The Arabic Bayan, and a partial translation by Denis MacEoin.
Keywords: A.L.M. Nicolas; Bayan-i-Farsi (Persian Bayan); Báb, Writings of

The Persian Bayan: Partial translation - Báb, The (2000)
A partial provisional translation of the Persian Bayan.
This translation is directly from the Persian, unlike others on this website that are translations from the French translation by Nicolas. It has been proofread and spellchecked, but appears to have been translated or typed in somewhat of a hurry and may contain errors. See also a list of Questions and Answers on the Persian Bayán, a complete translation of Nicolas' French into English by anonymous, Nicolas' French translation of The Persian Bayan, and Peter Terry's Summary and Themes of the Persian Bayán.
Keywords: Bayan-i-Farsi (Persian Bayan); Báb, Writings of

The Persian Manuscript of Nabíl's History (Táríkh-i-Nabíl) - Universal House of Justice (2009)
Answers to various questions, including: have any publications made use of the original manuscript used by Shoghi Effendi for The Dawn-Breakers; can scholars inspect the one surviving copy; does a corrected version or a "second manuscript" exist?
Keywords: Access to primary sources; Archives; Bahá'í World Centre; Bahá'í studies; Dawn-Breakers (book); God Passes By (book); Hasan Balyuzi; Manuscripts; Scholarship; Translation; `Alí Nakhjavání

The Persian Press and Persian Journalism: A Lecture delivered to the Persia Society - Browne,E. G. (Pub. for Persia Society by J. Hogg, 1913)
Short discussion of early Persian-language newspapers, with a passing mention of the writings of Mirza Mahdi Khan, an opponent of the Bahá'ís, and his Arabic-language work Miftahu Babi'l-Abwab.

The Persian Revolution of 1905-1909 - Browne,E. G. (Cambridge University Press, 1910)
Includes discussion of Bahá'ís and Bábís in "Attitude of Bahá’ís towards Persian Politics" (pp. 424-429) and "The Assassination of Nasiru'd-Din Shah" (60-62). Search text for Bábí for other references.
This book is online in other formats at archive.org.
Keywords: E. G. Browne; Iran (documents); Iran, General history; Nasirid-Din Shah, Attempt on; Politics

The Persian Rival to Jesus, and His American Disciples - Richardson,Robert P. (The Open Court, 1915)
History and teachings of the Bábi and Bahá'í religions and contemporary American disagreements, from an unsympathetic outsider's perspective. Followed by three letters-to-the-editor from three subsequent issues.
Many of this author's erroneous statements about the Bahá'í Faith were first corrected ten years earlier in this same journal by Arthur Pillsbury Dodge, and in a subsequent issue by I.G. Kheiralla. Followed by three letters to Open Court, at end. This document is also online in a variety of formats at archive.org.
Keywords: Criticism and apologetics; Opposition; United States (documents)

The Persian Sphinx: Amir Abbas Hoveyda and the Riddle of the Iranian Revolution - Milani,Abbas (Mage Publications, 2000)
Various passing mentions, including anti-Bahá'í paranoia, and the (alleged/disputed) Bahá'í affiliations of Amir Abbas Hoveyda, his father Habibollah Hoveyda (Ayn al-Molk), and Mohammad Reza Shah's physician Abdol Karim Ayadi.

The Pharisaic Phenomenon and the Dynamics of Denial - Maneck,Susan (1999)
On the role of intellectual rigidity, control and pride as causes of opposition to religious change, and the relevance of this concept in Bahá'í history.
Mirrored with permission from pharisaic.susanmaneck.com.

The Phenomenon of Prejudice - Hatcher,William S. (2003)
Fireside at the Bahá'í Centre in St. Petersburg.
Posted to Youtube by william.hatcher.org.
Keywords: Prejudice

The Philosophical Basis of the ANISA Model - Jordan,Daniel C. (1974)
Talk given at Green Acre Bahá'í School on ANISA, a science-based approach for curriculum development that integrates with new discoveries in human-related sciences. Includes stories of Jordan's spiritual teacher Charlotte Gillan.
Digitized from cassette by Michael Conway (whose father studied with Jordan) in 2020.
Keywords: Alfred North Whitehead; Anisa Educational Model; Dan Jordan; Education; Philosophy; Process philosophy

The Philosophy of Bahá'í Education - Handal,Boris (Religion & Education, 2007)
On a philosophy of education encompassing the individual and the society, the state of education and the child in the 19th century in the light of those principles, and a review of Bahá'í-inspired enterprises to implement those ideals around the world.
This is an accepted manuscript of an article published in Religion & Education, available for purchase at the Taylor & Francis website tandfonline.com.
Keywords: Education; Philosophy

The Philosophy of Minimalism - Hatcher,William S. (2003)
Talk at the Philosophical Club of St. Petersburg.
Posted to Youtube by william.hatcher.org.

The Philosophy of Spirituality: A Bahá'í Viewpoint - Hatcher,William S. (Dialogue and Universalism, 1996)
Views of human nature and the concept of spirituality; the Bahá'í concept of spirituality; the crucial role of philosophy in the process of human spiritual growth and development.
Mirrored with permission from william.hatcher.org (see william.hatcher.org/license).
Keywords: Philosophy; Spirituality

The Place of Poetry in Religion and Society: An Interview of Robert E. Hayden with Douglas Ruhe - Hayden,Robert E.; Ruhe,Douglas; Hatcher,John S. (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2014)
Introduction by Hatcher to the life of Hayden (2014); transcript of a talk between Hayden and Douglas Ruhe in 1975 on the future of poetry, transcendence, American destiny, important American poets, the Library of Congress, and Bahá'í spirituality.
Mirrored from journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/165. See also original scan.
Keywords: Arts and crafts; Biography; Interviews; Literature; Literature, English; Poetry; Robert Hayden

The Polish Response to Soviet Anti-Bahá'í Polemics - Jasion,Jan T. (Associate, 1999)
Response of non-Bahá'í scholars to Marxist-Leninist polemics and attacks on the Bahá'í Faith, in particular the attitude of Polish scholars writing between 1945 and 1988, while Poland was still a 'satellite' of the Soviet Union.
This paper is based on a study written in Haifa, 1981, "The Bahá'í Faith in Poland after 1945: the Published Response." Mirrored with permission from bahai-faith.manvell.org.uk.
Keywords: Atheism; Catholic Church; Christianity; Communism; Encyclopedias; Interfaith dialogue; Mentions; Poland; Russia

The Political Economy of Modern Iran: Despotism and Pseudo-Modernism 1926-1979 - Katouzian,Homa (State University of New York, 1981)
Mention of Sheikh Fazlollah Noori denouncing opponents as Babis; 1-page discussion (in footnotes) of the Bab as Mahdi and the Bahá'í/Azali split; anti-Bahá'í demonstrations following the murder of vice-consul Imbrie; Falsafi's attacks in 1953.
On Nuri see Wikipedia; on Imbrie see A Consideration of the Bahá'í religion and Imbrie Murder Laid to Religious Hate.
Keywords: Bábísm; Iran (documents); Persecution; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other

The Politics of Recognition, Society, and Law: The Role of Muslim Society and the Kubu Raya Local Government in the Struggle of the Bahá'ís - Lubis,Ali Akhbar Abaib Mas Rabbani; Sulaiman (Millah: Journal of Religious Studies, 2022)
The experience of Bahá'ís in Indonesia, specifically the region of Kubu Raya, West Kalimantan, where they face rejection in society and restrictions on civil rights; relationships between the Baha’is and the majority Muslim community and local government.
Article online at journal.uii.ac.id/Millah/article/view/23901.
Keywords: Bahá'í history by country; Indonesia; Recognition (legal)

The Politics of Service: Medical Aid to the Philippines - Langness,David (dialogue magazine, 1987)
On delivering volunteer hospital services and emergency aid to a corrupted country lacking political stability.
See also list of dialogue articles or image scans.
Keywords: Corruption; Philippines; Service; Volunteering

The Portraits and Career of Mohammed Ali, Son of Kazem-Beg: Scottish Missionaries and Russian Orientalism - Bivar,A. D. H. (Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 1994)
Kazem-Beg has a place in Bahá'í history because of his early book The Bab and the Babis (St. Petersburg, 1865). Article contains no mention of the Bábí or Bahá'í Faiths.
Keywords: Biography; Mírzá Kazem-Beg; Orientalism; Russia; St. Petersburg, Russia

The Positions of the Austrian Churches and Religious Communities regarding bio- and medico-ethical Issues - Schaefer,Udo (Churches, Religions, Bioethics (Kirchen, Religionen, Bioethik), 2002)
On the Bahá'í view of bioethical and biomedical questions, and Bahá'í authoritative sources, image of human beings, health and sickness, liberty and responsibility, and specific bioethical questions.
Note: while this document is included in the page "Udo Schaefer's English Articles," www.familieschaefer.de/articles_e1.htm, it does not appear to be an article by him, but rather a summary of his views by someone else.
Keywords: Austria; Christianity; Ethics; Health and healing; Interfaith dialogue; Udo Schaefer

The Possibilities of Existential Theism for Bahá'í Theology - McLean,Jack (Revisioning the Sacred: New Perspectives on a Bahá'í Theology: Studies in the Bábí and Bahá'í Religions, 1997)
The perspective of existential theology can benefit Bahá'í studies of religion, as applied to issues such as scholarship, spiritual transformation, and sacred history.
Mirrored with permission from jack-mclean.com.
Keywords: Philosophers; Philosophy; Revisioning the Sacred (book); Soren Kierkegaard; Theology

The Potential of the Bahá'í Faith to Grow in Scope and Influence - Prosterman,Annette (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1992)
A sociological perspective says that, to grow and develop, a religion must have ideological and structural elements that foster its effective growth, maintain its cohesion as a collective unit, and enable it to mobilize its members toward social change.
Keywords: Growth; Social action; Social change

The Power of Discourse and the Discourse of Power: Peace as Discourse Intervention - Karlberg,Michael (International Journal of Peace Studies, 2005)
Western discourses of power are inadequate for creating a peaceful and just society. Alternate models can be proposed through "discourse intervention." The Bahá'í community offers a non-adversarial, alternative social practice.
Mirrored with permission from author's website, myweb.wwu.edu [archive.org]
Keywords: Discourse (general); Justice; Peace

The Power of Divine Assistance - Báb, The; Bahá'u'lláh; Abdul-Bahá; Shoghi Effendi (Compilation of Compilations, 1991)
Also available as a nicely-formatted PDF, prepared by Romane Takkenberg. Add or read quotations or links pertaining to this work here.
Keywords: Divine Assistance; Power of Divine Assistance (compilation)

The Power of Prayer - Hutchens,Eleanor S. (Baha'i News, 1969)
Reflections on the purpose of humankind, the nearness of God, the healing power of revealed prayer, and how prayers are answered.
Mirrored from havcamwiltrav.tripod.com/oldsite/prayer.htm. After being published in Bahá'í News (1969), this was revised and printed by the Bahá'í Publishing Trust (Wilmette) in 1975.
Keywords: Prayer

The Power of Prayer Brings a Higher Force into Play - Slavin,Ted (St. Catharines Standard, 2011)
Some ideas about how prayer works.
Mirrored with permission of author from stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2580901.

The Power of Reflection: Advancing Governance and Dispute Resolution Systems through Devolved Reflection and Shared Knowledge Generation - Ali,Shahla (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2018)
Reflection is the "source of crafts, sciences and arts," with the capacity to produce "pearls of wisdom and utterance as will promote the well-being and harmony of all the kindreds of the earth." It can improve institutions and community governance.
Article mirrored from journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/248. See also the complete issue [PDF].
Keywords: Conflict resolution; Consultation; Governance; Reflection; Scholarship; Social action

The Power of "The Covenant of God" Alone Regenerates Mankind - Remey,Charles Mason (Star of the West, 1913)
Recognition of the centre of the covenant is the important matter before the world today. Includes extracts from a letter to a Bahai assembly in America.

The Power of the Covenant: A Compilation - National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States, compiler (National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States, 1956)
Keywords: Covenant

The Power of Unity: Beyond Prejudice and Racism [excerpts] - Báb, The; Bahá'u'lláh; Abdul-Bahá; Shoghi Effendi (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1986)
Besides the contents, foreword, and bibliography which have been included here, only those quotations which are not readily available elsewhere online have been included in this version here (these new quotations only were scanned, proofed, and formatted by B. Zamir).
Keywords: Prejudice; Race; Racism; Unity

The Prayers of Bahá'u'lláh - Khanum,Ruhiyyih (Baha'i World, 1945)
Essay about various prayers and meditations of Bahá'u'lláh.
Mirrored from
Keywords: Arabic language; Bahá'u'lláh; Death; Fasting; Fasting prayers; Forgiveness; God; Meditation; Metaphors and allegories; Munajathay-i-Siyam (Prayers for Fasting); Obligatory prayer; Obligatory prayer, Long; Persian language; Poetry; Prayer; Prayers and Meditations of Bahá'u'lláh (book); Repetition; Salat-i-Mayyit (Prayer for the Dead); Spirituality; Style (Writings); Sulaymaniyyih, Iraq; Tests and difficulties; Translation; Words and phrases

The Precursor, the Prophet, and the Pope: Contributions to the History of the Bahá'í Movement (Conclusion) - Richardson,Robert P. (The Open Court, 1916)
Part 2 of a critique of Bahá'í practice and thought from a (somewhat hostile) Christian perspective.
This document is online in a variety of formats at archive.org.
Keywords: Criticism and apologetics; Ibrahim George Kheiralla; United States (documents)

The Precursor, the Prophet, and the Pope: Contributions to the History of the Bahá'í Movement (part 1) - Richardson,Robert P. (The Open Court, 1916)
A critical overview of Bábí history, contemporary American Bahá'í issues and disagreements (e.g. Kheiralla), and Bahá'í objections to the author's previous writings. Not yet proofread.
This document is online in a variety of formats at archive.org.
Keywords: Criticism and apologetics; Ibrahim George Kheiralla; United States (documents)

The Press as a Consultative Forum: A Contribution to Normative Press Theory - Karlberg,Michael (Baha'i Studies Review, 2010)
A model of the press derived from Bahá'í teachings as a contribution to normative press theory centring on the principles and objectives of consultation.
This article is provided as a free sample from the publishers of BSR. See www.ingentaconnect.com/content/intellect/bsr/2010/00000016/00000001/art00002. Mirrored with permission from author's website, myweb.wwu.edu [archive.org]

The Priceless Pearl - Khanum,Ruhiyyih (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969)
The classic biography of The Guardian, written by his wife.
See also updated, annotated Microsoft Word version, prepared by M. Thomas (2024). See also an abridged biography by Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith. This text was distributed in Ocean and may contain typos. Later it was posted at recherche.bahai-studien.de and bahairesearch.com. This version adds formatting. An official version is available in ePub and Mobi formats at Bahaiebooks.org.
Keywords: Amatul-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum; Biography; Priceless Pearl (book); Shoghi Effendi; Shoghi Effendi, Works of

The Prince of Martyrs: A brief account of the Imam Husayn - Faizi,Abu'l-Qasim (George Ronald, 1977)
The story of the Third Imam, whose death in the year 680 became a pivotal event for Shi'i Islam.
See also a scan of the book, and a version in Word format. See also Martyrdom in Shi'ism.
Keywords: Abu'l-Qasim Faizi; Biography; Imam Husayn; Imams; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Martyrdom

The Principle of an International Auxiliary Language - Abdul-Bahá; Shoghi Effendi; Universal House of Justice (1979)
Received from the Bahá'í World Centre by Don Calkins, by request.
Keywords: Esperanto; International auxiliary language

The Principle of Fundamental Oneness - Kapur,Promilla (The Lab, the Temple, and the Market, 2000)
The teachings of Hinduism offer a resource for integrated development; a personal perspective of work with the International Development Research Centre; Vedanta; the Self and development; science and Hinduism; Ramakrishna; Gandhi; Sri Aurobindo.
Mirrored from idrc.ca, where it is also available in HTML format. The complete book is also available for free at Google books.

The Principle of Succession in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas: Wilmette Institute faculty notes - Poirier,Brent (1999)
Prepared as part of Wilmette Institute notes and commentary on the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh.
Keywords: Covenant; Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Most Holy Book); Wilmette Institute notes on the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh

The Principle of the Oneness of Humankind: Strong Foundationalism, Non-Adversarialism, and the Imperatives of Our Time - Boicu,Filip (2022)
Some of the ways in which the concept of globalization has been framed in the recent past; the vision of Shoghi Effendi; The Seven Valleys and social change; moral codes and ethical living; the oneness of humankind and non-adversarialism.
Mirrored with permission from academia.edu.
Keywords: Climate change; Education; Environment; Ethics; FUNDAEC; Globalization; Inequality; Justice; Oppression; Philosophy; Social change; Sustainable development; Unity; Unity in diversity

The Prisoner and the Kings - Sears,William (General Publishing Company, Ltd., 1971)
A historical account of Bahá'u'lláh's world-changing letters that He sent as a prisoner to the religious and secular leaders between 1867 and 1873.
Mirrored with permission from bci.org/prophecy-fulfilled.htm [archive.org].
Keywords: Prophecies; Tablets to kings and rulers; William Sears

The Process of Social Transformation - Arbab,Farzam (The Baha'i Faith and Marxism, 1987)
Bahá'í concepts of social change contrasted with other common paradigms.
Keywords: Change; Farzam Arbab; Transformation

The Promise of All Ages - Townshend,George (Lindsay Drummond, 1934)
Overview of Bahá'í teachings: a "sketch of the religious teaching of Bahá’u’lláh on the subject of the unity of mankind and the establishment in this century of a universal and permanent peace."
Page numbers in the documents below have changed from the original publication.
Keywords: Bahá'u'lláh; George Townshend; Introductory

The Promise of Lord Krishna - Faizi,Gloria A. (Mirat Publications, 1975)
Bahá'í fulfillment of Krishna's prophecy of return: "Whenever there is decay of righteousness and exaltation of unrighteousness, then I Myself come forth."
Mirrored from bahaideepeningresources.blogspot.ca.
Keywords: Gloria Faizi; Hinduism; Interfaith dialogue; Prophecies

The Promised Day is Come - Shoghi Effendi (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1980)
A book-length letter written by Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá’ís of the West, dated 28 March 1941, about Bahá'u'lláh's letters to the kings and rulers, and their relation to historical events.
See this updated, revised digital edition prepared by Mike Thomas, in Word format: shoghi-effendi_promised_day_come_2021.docx. His updates are detailed in the first "comment" (enable Track Changes if you don't see Comments). See also this related letter. Add or read quotations or links pertaining to this work here.
Keywords: Bahá'í history; Historical overviews by Central Figures or BWC; History (general); Peace; Promised Day is Come (letter); Shoghi Effendi, Writings of; Tablets to kings and rulers; World peace

The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Study Guide - Bayat,Ehsan, compiler (2024)
A detailed study guide on subjects such as the coming of age of the human race, the oneness and continuity of the Manifestations of God, and the oneness of religion as a social force for establishing world order and peace, from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's 1912 talks.
Also available in Microsoft Word format.
Keywords: Canada; Outlines and summaries; Promulgation of Universal Peace (book); Study guides; United States (documents)

The Proof Based on Establishment (Dalíl-i-taqrír) and the Proof Based on Verses (Hujjiyyat-i-ayát): An Introduction to the Bahá'í-Muslim Polemics - Milani,Kavian Sadeghzade; Milani,Leila Rassekh (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1997)
Study of Bahá'í apologetics based largely on the work of Mirza Abu'l-Fadl.
This is an early draft of the article which was later published in JBS; see also PDF of published article. See also journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/270.
Keywords: Bible; Christianity; Criticism and apologetics; Fasl ul-Khitab (That which Separates Between Truth and Falsehood); Hadith; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Kitáb al-Faraid (Book of Priceless Pearls); Kitáb-i-Íqán (Book of Certitude); Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl Gulpaygani; Proofs; Quran

The Prophecies of Jesus, by Michael Sours: Review - Buck,Christopher (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1992)
Mirrored with permission from journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/72. See also original scan. See also Responses by Michael Sours and Christopher Buck (1994).
Keywords: Bible; Christianity; Criticism and apologetics; Interfaith dialogue; Jesus Christ; Kitáb-i-Íqán (Book of Certitude); Prophecies; Scholarship; Some Answered Questions (book)

The Prophecy of Bahá'u'lláh: A Backward Bending Supply Curve Theorem - Varqa,Sathia (2006)
The fates of some of the dictators to whom Bahá'u'lláh addressed his tablets, and the choices and constraints facing a political dictator in pursuing the objective of maximizing power.
Keywords: History (general); Prophecies; Summons of the Lord of Hosts (book); Suriy-i-Haykal (Surih of the Temple); Suriy-i-Muluk (Surih to the Kings); Tablets to kings and rulers

The Protection of Diversity in the World Order of Baha'u'llah - Bahá'í World Centre Office of Public Information (dialogue magazine, 1988)
Statement dated December 29, 1985, released by the Bahá'í International Community's Office of Public Information following the broadcast of a BBC program on the Bahá'í Faith in 1985.
Below is the HTML from info.bahai.org/protection-of-diversity-in-bahai-community.html, followed by page scans of the same article as published in dialogue.
Keywords: BIC statements; Cultural diversity; Diversity; Religious diversity; Statements; World order

The Provincial Politics of Heresy and Reform in Qajar Iran: Shaykh al-Rais in Shiraz, 1895-1902 - Cole,Juan (Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, 2002)
Biography and political/historical context of "the poet laureate of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution," who was secretly a second-generation Bahá'í.
Keywords: Biography; Iran (documents); Qajar dynasty; Shaykh al-Rais; Shíráz, Iran

The Psychology of Spirituality, by Hossein B. Danesh: Review - Diessner,Rhett (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1995)
See also journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/238. Also available in PDF. See also review by B. Pokorny (1995).

The Psychology of Spirituality: From Divided Self to Integrated Self - Danesh,Hossain (Sterling Publishers, 2000)
Explores what is the nature of human reality, the purpose of human life, transcendence, and whether we have free will, using case histories, in-depth analysis, and practical examples. First 3 chapters only.
Chapters 1-3 of this book were posted online at the publisher's website, still online at archive.org. Parts of this book can be read online at google books.
Keywords: Free will; Hossain Danesh; Human nature; Life (general); Philosophy; Psychology; Purpose of life; Self; Spirituality

The Pupil of the Eye: African Americans in the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh - Báb, The; Bahá'u'lláh; Abdul-Bahá; Universal House of Justice (Palabra Publications, 1998)
A compilation of references in the Bahá'í writings to African-Americans and those of African descent.
This online copy was based off of a pre-publication copy, and though attempts were made to adjust the organization and formatting according to the print copy, there may be some discrepancies between this version and the final print copy. The quotations should be the same, but the citations' formatting, for example, may differ. See also this book's pre-publication items, not included in the final printed copy. Thanks to Bonnie Taylor and Palabra Publications for permission to post. The book is presently out of print.
Keywords: Africa; African Americans; Metaphors and allegories; Pupil of the eye; Race; Race unity; Racism; Teaching; United States (documents); Unity

The Purpose of Poetry - Sabri,Shirin (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1988)
Justifications for the work of contemporary artists; now is the time for Bahá’ís to work towards the flowering of civilization, using art as a unifying force to create links of understanding; poetry provides a means of approaching spiritual reality.
See also commentaries by David Erickson and Jack McLean and author's response to commentaries.
Keywords: Arts and crafts; Literature; Literature, English; Philosophy; Poetry

"The Purpose of Poetry," by Shirin Sabri: Commentary - McLean,Jack (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1989)
Also available as original scan. See also Sabri's article, and see author's response to this commentary.
Keywords: Arts and crafts; Literature; Literature, English; Poetry

The Purposes and Objectives of Bahá'í Scholarship: Compilation and commentary - Terry,Peter (2009)
Three essays on objectives of Bahá'í Scholarship, attaining to the knowledge of God, and the study of philosophy.
This monograph brings together three articles related to Bahá'í scholarship. The first of these is entitled “The Purposes and Objectives of Bahá'í Scholarship” and is the principal essay (pp. 3-75). The two other essays are entitled “Attaining to the Knowledge of God” (pp. 76-106) and “The Study of Philosophy” (pp. 107-129).
Keywords: God; Knowledge; Philosophy; Scholarship

The Pursuit of Social Justice - Karlberg,Michael (Baha'i World, 2022)
An interdisciplinary examination of prevailing conceptions of human nature, power, social organization, and social change, and their implications for the pursuit of peace and justice.
Mirrored from bahaiworld.bahai.org.
Keywords: Administrative Order; Advancement of civilization; Bahá'í Faith, Evolutionary nature of; Capacity building; Caste system; Change; Community building; Conversion; Development; Diversity; Education; Elections; Equality; Gender; Human rights; Injustice; Institute process; Integration and disintegration; Interfaith dialogue; Justice; Mahatma Gandhi; Means versus ends; Media (communication); Non-violence; Oppression; Peace; Persecution; Politics; Protest; Public discourse (discourses of society); Race; Reform; Resilience; Service; Social action; Social justice; Social media; Society building; Study circles; Training Institutes; Unity; Violence; Women; World order

The Quantum State Function, Platonic Forms, and the Ethereal Substance: Reflections on the Potential of Philosophy to Contribute to the Harmony of Science and Religion - Ranjbar,Vahid Houston (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2023)
Science and philosophy correlate to concepts from the knowledge system of religion; the ethereal substance described by Abdu’l-Bahá belongs to Plato’s idealized realm and resonates with the modern understanding of a quantum field.
Mirrored from journal.bahaistudies.ca. See also the complete issue [PDF].
Keywords: Arc of ascent and descent; Consciousness; Ether (concept); Lawh-i-Aflakiyyih (Tablet of the Universe); Mathematics; Neoplatonism; Philosophy; Philosophy, Greek; Physics; Plato; Science; Soul; Theology

The Question of Gender in Canadian Baha'i History - Hoonaard, van den,Will C. (1994)
The position of Bahá'í women in the Canadian community and the extent to which they participated in teaching and administrative activities.
Presented to the North American Bahá'í History Conference, Wilmette, Illinois, 5-6 June 1994.

The Question of Objectivity - Hatcher,William S. (2003)
Speech at the Faculty of Philosophy of St. Petersburg State University.
Posted to Youtube by william.hatcher.org.

The Quickening: Unknown Poetry of Tahirih, by John S. Hatcher and Amrollah Hemmat: Review - Fatheazam,Shahbaz (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2015)
Mirrored with permission from journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/361. See also PDF scan.
Keywords: Poetry; Tahirih (Qurratu'l-'Ayn, Zarrín-Táj)

The Qur'an and the Apocalyptic Imagination - Lawson,Todd (2010)
The Qur'án is regarded as a revelation of a divine message, unveiling truth to humankind at a time of transformative crisis and announcing its judgement.
See also the published French translation of this article, Le Coran et l'imaginaire apocalyptique (this English original is as-yet unpublished).
Keywords: Apocalypse; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Quran

The Qur'an and the Bahá'í Faith - Lawson,Todd (Communities of the Qur'an: Dialogue, debate and diversity in the twenty-first century, 2019)
On how tafsir, Islam, and the Qur'an have had a great impact on the form and content of the Bahá'í revelation.
Mirrored with permission from toddlawson.ca.
Keywords: Alast (Primordial Covenant); Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Kitáb-i-Íqán (Book of Certitude); Qayyumul-Asma (book); Quran

The Qur'an and Violence against Non-believers - Brownstein,Ted (2017)
An examination of two sections of The Qur'an that supposedly authorize the slaughter of innocent non-Muslims.
Keywords: Christianity; Context, Taking verses out of; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Jihad (Holy war); Judaism; Non-believers; Quran; Violence; War

The Qur'an Commentary of Sayyid 'Alí Muhammad, the Báb: Doctoral dissertation - Lawson,Todd (1987)
A study of the Báb's two earliest works, partial commentaries on the Qur'an entitled "Tafsír súrat al-baqara" and "Tafsír súrat Yúsuf" (aka The Qayyum al-Asma), in an attempt to appreciate the Bab's attitude towards the Qur'an.
A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University. Later published by Routledge as Gnostic Apocalypse and Islam: Qur'an, Exegesis, Messianism and the Literary Origins of the Bábí Religion (2012).
Keywords: Báb, Writings of; Commentaries; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Qaim; Qayyumul-Asma (book); Quran; Tafsir surat al-baqara (Commentary on the Surah of the Cow); Tetrads and heptads; Walaya

The Qur'án: Renderings by Rodwell & Sale and Multilinear Qur'án with Bahá'í References by Verse - Zamir,Brett, compiler (2003)
Compilation on Islam and the Qur'an, and parallel translation of The Qur'an as translated by George Sale (1877) and J. M. Rodwell (1876).
George Sale's version of the Qur'án I typed from the original print versions (from the 1800's and early 1900's - different editions had different materials which I discovered at different stages, so I used several editions to include all of the items). Rodwell's version of the Qur'án was based on a Project Gutenberg online text to which I added a Suráh that had been missed (at the time) and some other corrections and notes. -B.Z. Other online versions are at archive.org (PDF of 1877 edition) and gutenberg.org (html version no footnotes). An experimental (currently Chrome only) offlineable web app integrating these contents is available through https://bahai-browser.org/#lang=en-US&work=quran Add or read quotations or links pertaining to this work here. See also The Meanings of the Holy Qur'an translation by Yusufali.
Keywords: Cross-reference; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Quotations from the Quran; Quran; Quran translations; Rodwell (Quran translation); Sale (Quran translation); Translation; Translation, Parallel

The Qur'án: The Meanings of the Holy Qur'an - Muhammad
Add or read comments or links about the Holy Qur'án here. See also Parallel translation by Rodwell & Sale and Multilinear Qur'án with Bahá'í References by Verse.
Keywords: Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Quran

The Quranic Roots of Some Legal and Theological Terms of the Kitáb-i Aqdas Regarding Women and Homosexual Relations - Ekbal,Kamran (1995)
Interpretations and etymologies of Arabic terms for prostitution, virginity, dowry, menstruation, sodomy, pederasty, uncleanliness, and adultery.
Date unknown; author just says "mid-1990s." Also available in Microsoft Word format.
Keywords: Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Most Holy Book); LGBTQ; Laws; Quran; Women

The Quranic Witness to Biblical Authority - Shamoun,Sam (1999)
Written for a Muslim audience, this article expounds on the Muslim view that the Bible is authentically the Word of God. The article does not mention the Bahá'í Faith, but its topic is relevant to Bahá'í studies.
Adapted with permission from www.answering-islam.org/Shamoun/aboutbible.htm.
Keywords: Bible; Christianity; Context, Taking verses out of; Corruption of texts; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Quran

The Re-florescence of Historical Romance in Nabil - Khanum,Ruhiyyih (Baha'i World, 1934)
Essay reflecting on the dominant themes of The Dawn-Breakers, an early narrative of Bábí history authored by Nabil-i-A'zam.
Mirrored from
Keywords: Amatul-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum; Báb, Martyrdom of; Báb, The; Bábí history; Dawn-Breakers (book); Iran (documents); Literature; Mulla Husayn; Nabil-i-Azam; Tahirih (Qurratu'l-'Ayn, Zarrín-Táj)

The Real Turk - Cobb,Stanwood (The Pilgrim Press, 1914)
Reflections on three years spent in Turkey during the rise of the Young Turk Party and the downfall of Abdul Hamid; the character of the Turkish, their temperament, and their way of looking at life.
Regarding this book, Cobb later wrote "The results of my study of Islam and of the Turk were published in book form in 1914 by the Pilgrim Press under the title The Real Turk — a book which almost lost the liberal-minded manager of the Pilgrim Press his job. For it was the first book that had appeared in America sympathetic to the Turk and to Islam." (from Character p. 23)
Keywords: Biography; Culture, Turkish; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Stanwood Cobb; Turkey; Young Turks

The Reception of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Britain: East Comes West, by Brendan McNamara: Review - Stockman,Robert (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2024)
Mirrored with permission from journal.bahaistudies.ca. See also the complete issue [PDF].
Keywords: United Kingdom; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Travels of

The Recollections of My Pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Meeting the Beloved Guardian - Kelsey,Olivia (1954)
Notes of a pilgrimage in 1954.
Transcribed by K. Bookwalter, who notes: Kelsey "gave several talks on her pilgrimage. One was recorded. I transcribed it. Where it says 'Varid,' it should read, 'Fareed.' In her notes, Olivia states that her pilgrimage was in 1956, but in other places such as the Bahá'í World and Knights of Bahá'u'lláh it says 1954 which makes more sense."
Keywords: Pilgrims notes; Shoghi Effendi

The Reconciliation of Races and Religions - Cheyne,Thomas Kelly (Adam and Charles Black, 1914)
Early history of the Bábí and Bahá'í movements, life stories of their participants, and their contemporary religious context, written by a distinguished British Biblical scholar.
See also updated, annotated Microsoft Word version, prepared by M. Thomas (2024). This book is online in a variety of formats at archive.org, and another version was later posted to afnanlibrary.org.
Keywords: Biography; Buddhism; Christianity; Hinduism; Inayat Khan; Interfaith dialogue; Introductory; Islam; Judaism; Shaykh Ahmad-i-Ahsá'i; Shaykhism; Siyyid Kazim-i-Rashti; Sufism; Theophany; Thomas Kelly Cheyne (T. K. Cheyne); Unity of religion; Vedanta; Zoroastrianism

The Reconciliation of Religions: Imperative for the 21st Century - Terry,Peter (2015)
While the 12 principles attributed to 'Abdu'l-Bahá include the harmony of religion with science and reason and the imperative that religion lead to unity, one principle that was at least as prominent is often left out: the reconciliation of religions.
Keywords: Interfaith dialogue; Principles; Reconciliation; Unity of religion

The Reconvergence of Theology and Spirituality - McLean,Jack (1995)
New forms of spirituality lie in the spaces between theological truth, cognition, and psycho-spiritual growth. This paper examines the current interest in spirituality and calls for a common ground of the two domains.
Mirrored with permission from jack-mclean.com.
Keywords: Spirituality; Theology

The Reference Desk: Projects that Support Bahá'í Scholarship in the Digital Age - Hassall,Graham, editor (2022)
13 presentations on how digital technologies are supporting Bahá’í scholarship. Webmasters, bibliographers, genealogists, and archivists speak about their journey in reference projects: origins, progress, and insights into how their projects are used.
See also Hassall's 2003 International Conference on Bahá'í Libraries and Archives, and the "Yerrinbool" reports from 1997, 1998, and 1999.
Keywords: Archives; Bahá'í studies; Genealogy; Internet; Libraries; Scholarship; Wikipedia; Wikis

The Refutation of Francesco Ficicchia and the Dangers of Silence - McLean,Jack (2001)
Examination of the prejudice caused to the reputation of the Faith in academic and ecclesiastical circles in German-speaking Europe following the publication of an anti-Bahá'í book.
See also Foreword to Making the Crooked Straight and letter to World Order. Mirrored with permission from jack-mclean.com.
Keywords: Criticism and apologetics; Making the Crooked Straight (book)

The Relation of the Báb to the Traditions of Islám - LaFarge,Wanden Mathews (Baha'i World, 1930)
Discussion of prophecies made by Muhammad concerning his son-in-law Alí and the division which divided Islám into the two factions Sunni and Shi‘i, to understand the significance of the titles "Gate" and "Point" and the concept of the Twelfth Imám.
Also available in Word format.
Keywords: Báb (Gate); Báb, The; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Nuqta (Point); Prophecies; Shia Islam (Shiism); Sunni Islam (Sunnism)

The Relativity of Religious Truth: Relating to the Absolute - McLean,Jack (2007)
History of the relativistic approach to truth, a response to Momen's "Relativism: A Basis for Bahá'í Metaphysics," and inter-faith dialogue.
This paper is a modified version of the section by the same name, extracted from “Prolegomena to a Bahá’í Theology,” The Journal of Bahá’í Studies, 5:1, March-June, 1992). Mirrored with permission from jack-mclean.com.
Keywords: Dualism; Interfaith dialogue; Ludwig Wittgenstein; Monism; Relativism; Relativity of religious truth

The Religion of the Bab - Speer,Robert E.; Jessup,Henry H. (Missions and Modern History: A Study of the Missionary Aspects of some Great Movements of the Nineteenth Century, 1904)
Two articles: Speer's "The Religion of the Bab," pp. 119-174, is followed by Jessup's "The Babites," pp. 174-182 (originally published in The Outlook, 1901).
This entire book is available online in a variety of formats at archive.org. See also Word document.
Keywords: Christian missionaries; Henry Jessup

The Religion of the Bahá'ís - Richards,J. R. (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1932)
A book-length overview from an outsider's perspective, written by a missionary in Shiraz for his Christian audience.
The first PDF below generated from a Microsoft Word version created by Mike Thomas (2023), which in turn he created from combining the complete set of image scans of the book from h-net.org/~bahai.

The Religions and Philosophies of the East - Kennedy,J. M. (John Lane Company, 1911)
Overview of Bábí and Bahá'í history, and brief summary of Bahá'í teachings.

The Religions of Modern Syria and Palestine - Bliss,Frederick Jones (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1912)
See full book online in multiple formats at archive.org.
Keywords: Iran (documents); Israel; Israel, Bahá'í relations; Mentions; Palestine; Syria; United States (documents); `Abdu'l-Bahá; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Station of

The Religious Foundations of Civil Society - Heller,Wendy M. (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2000)
A Bahá'í perspective on the loss of a transcendent ethical basis as a central problem of modern social theory; religion is the source of society’s moral foundations and its organizing principles of order, law, and governance.
See also journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/448.
Keywords: Philosophy; Sociology

The Religious Heritage of America - Shulman,Albert M. (A. S. Barnes & Company, 1981)
2-page overview of Bahá'í history, administrative structure, and beliefs.
The cover page is a much smaller resolution than the following two pages; the reader will have to zoom out to view them.

The Religious Influence of Persia: A Paper Read before the Persia Society - Browne,E. G. (Persia Society, 1914)
Passing mentions of the Bahá'í Faith in the context of Persian culture and letters.

The Religious Mission of the English-Speaking Nations - Jessup,Henry H. (Neely's History of the Parliament of Religions and Religious Congresses of the World's Columbian Exposition, 1894)
The report mentioned by Shoghi Effendi in God Passes By, and often (erroneously) referred to as being one of the first public mentions of the Faith.
See also First Public Mentions of the Bahá'í Faith in the West and The Rise and Fall of the Parliament of Religions at Greenacre. This entire book is available online in a variety of formats at archive.org. See also Word document. Author note: "Rev. Henry H. Jessup, D.D, of Beirout, Syria."
Keywords: Christian missionaries; Henry Jessup; Mentions; Parliament of the World's Religions

The Religious State: A Comparative Study of Sixteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Opposition: The Case of the Anabaptists and the Bábís - Waite,Gary K. (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1995)
Brief overview of the nature of and opposition to the Dutch and North German Anabaptist movement of the sixteenth century; survey for the nineteenth-century Bábís; conclusions regarding important parallels noted between these movements.
See also journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/issue/archive. Also available in Microsoft Word format and original scan.

The Remains of the Bab in Tehran - Rabbani,Ahang (1997)
Brief bio of Aqa Husayn-'Ali Nur and an extract from Khatirat Muhajiri Az Isfahan, "Memoirs of a Refugee from Isfahan," discussing the history of these remains. Includes biographical notes.
See Further extracts concerning the remains of the Bab in Tehran and Letter re interment of the remains of The Bab on Mt. Carmel.
Keywords: Biography; Báb, Burial of; Báb, Martyrdom of; Báb, Remains of; Báb, Shrine of (Haifa); Báb, The; Iran (documents); Tehran, Iran

The Remembrance of God: An Invocation Technique in Sufism and the Writings of The Báb and Bahá'u'lláh - Scholl,Steven (Baha'i Studies Bulletin, 1983)
Dhikru'lláh, the invocation or "remembrance" of God, is a Sufi technique of chanting or repeating prayers, divine names, or mantras to achieve heightened spiritual consciousness or a sense of mystical union. Includes commentary by Moojan Momen et al.
See discussion by Peter Smith, Stephen Lambden, Juan Cole, and Moojan Momen at end.
Keywords: Allahumma; Alláh-u-Abhá; Attainment unto the Divine presence; Dhikr (Remembrance); Genuflections; Greatest Name; Meditation; Mysticism; Obligatory prayer; Prayer; Purpose of life; Remembrance; Sufism; Transformation; Words and phrases

The Responsibility of Men in Achieving Equality Between the Sexes - Coe,Roger (1989)
Inequality in the relationship between women and men is manifested in the denial of opportunity - or even domination. Both sexes have been conditioned to accept these roles. Men must transform themselves to end this oppression. Audio version included.
Presented at the Association for Bahá'í Studies for North America "Equality of Women and Men" conference, Irving California, 1989. Audio originally posted at bahaistudy.org, archived at archive.org.

The Return of Christ: Statements Relating to the Twofold Nature of Christ - Crist,Gene, compiler
Two-page compilation of passages from the Bible and the Bahá'í Writings.
From the Emma Maxie Jones Collection. Date unknown, but after Bahá'í News #118 (August 1938).
Keywords: Christianity; Interfaith dialogue; Jesus Christ; Return

The Revelation of Bahaullah in a Sequence of Four Lessons - Brittingham,Isabella D., compiler (Bahá'í Publishing Society, 1902)
One of the earliest English-language histories of the Faith, written to prove the truth of Bahá'u'lláh's revelation through Biblical prophecy.
This book is online in a variety of formats at archive.org.
Keywords: Bible; Christianity; Interfaith dialogue; Isabella Brittingham; Prophecies

The Revelation of Islam and the Power of the Messenger - Ekbal,Kamran
[article in Persian]
If you read Persian and can help provide some information about this paper, like an abstract and a correct title, please contact me. Date unknown. This document is only available in Word format, because I was not able to convert it to PDF with my system fonts. [-J.W. 2017]
Keywords: Interfaith dialogue; Islam

The Revivification of the Buddha's Dharma - Fozdar,Jamshed K. (Singapore Baha'i Studies Review, 1997)
The unrivaled impact of the Buddha's teachings upon Asian spirituality, his fundamental motivations, and the recurrence of the "Buddha-rising" — the returning advent of the Divine Teacher, the Maitreya-Amitabha.
See the table of contents and editor's note in the complete issue, vol. 2.
Keywords: Buddhism; Interfaith dialogue; Prophecies

The Right to Development Assistance, and the Duty to Contribute: A Case Study from Zambia - Hedley,Darren (Bahá'í-Inspired Perspectives on Human Rights, 2001)
On the experiences of a poverty reduction program implemented in Zambia by an international NGO, CARE, and the policy process whereby it sought to enshrine the principle of rights being matched by responsibilities.
This book is also available for download as a single PDF [2MB]. Mirrored with permission from juxta.com. See publisher's Books for the World license.

The Right to Education: The Case of the Bahá'ís in Iran - Tahririha-Danesh,Tahirih (Bahá'í-Inspired Perspectives on Human Rights, 2001)
On the ongoing harassment of Bahá’í students and educators resulting from the state-sponsored religious intolerance of the post-revolution government in Iran.
This book is also available for download as a single PDF [2MB]. Mirrored with permission from juxta.com. See publisher's Books for the World license.
Keywords: Human rights; Iran (documents); Persecution; Persecution, Education; Persecution, Iran

The Rise and Fall of the Parliament of Religions at Greenacre - Richardson,Robert P. (The Open Court, 1931)
Background of the first parliament and Chicago Columbian Exposition and the role of Sarah Farmer and other Bahá'ís in bringing it to fruition, written from an unsympathetic outsider's perspective. Not yet proofread.
See also a contemporary overview Introduction to Green Acre Bahá'í School, an excerpt from Neely's History of the Parliament of Religions, and an unsympathetic earlier letter to the editor about Sarah Farmer. On the Chicago Exposition, see wikipedia. Also available in Microsoft Word format prepared by E. Jones (2023). This document is online in a variety of formats at archive.org.
Keywords: Eliot, ME; Green Acre, Eliot, ME; Maine, USA; Parliament of the World's Religions; Sarah Farmer; United States (documents)

The Rise of Justice in the Spiritual and Secular Life of Man: excerpts from The Advent of Divine Justice by Shoghi Effendi - Thomas,James B. (Lights of Irfan, 2008)
The Advent of Divine Justice (1938) raised the consciousness of the American Bahá’í community, introduced systematic methods for expansion of the Faith and a new conception of justice, and emphasized the special role of the American Bahá’ís.
Presented at the Irfan Colloquia Session #74, Bosch Bahá'í School, California (May 24-27, 2007). Mirrored with permission from /irfancolloquia.org/74/thomas_justice.
Keywords: Advent of Divine Justice (letter); Irfan Colloquia; Justice

The Rise of the Bahá'í Community of 'Ishqábád - Lee,Anthony (Baha'i Studies, 1979)
Materials about the early history of Ishqabad, site of the first Bahá'í Temple, based in part on interviews with former residents.
Keywords: Ashgabat; Bahá'í history by country; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Ishqabad; Turkmenistan

The River of Life: A Selection from the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá - Dawud,Yuhanna, compiler (Cope & Fenwick, 1914)
An early book-length compilation, edited and translated by Dawud.
Also available as a Microsoft Word document. See bibliographic discussion of Dawud's work in the Leiden List.
Keywords: Bahá'u'lláh, Writings of; River of Life (book); Yuhanna Dawud (John David); `Abdu'l-Bahá, Writings and talks of

The Road Less Travelled By - Hatcher,John S. (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2017)
"From the Editor's Desk": Overview of this issue's articles regarding racism and proper responses to it, both among the general population and within the Bahá'í community itself.
Mirrored from journal.bahaistudies.ca. See also the complete issue [PDF].
Keywords: John Hatcher; Race; Race unity; Racism; United States (documents)

The Road to Nazareth: Through Palestine Today - Gibbons,John (Robert Hale & Company, 1936)
Two-page discussion of the Babis and Mount Carmel, from a travel diary.

The Road: Reflections on Scottish history - Boyd,Jack (2005)
Essays on the birth of Scotland, Saint Patrick, William Wallace, Robert Bruce, and Rob Roy MacGregor. Includes photos of Rob Roy's cave, grave, and lands, with notes by a distant descendant of Roy.
See Jack Boyd's Memoirs for more history, and Boyd's "adventures" in Scotland.
Keywords: History (general); Scotland; United Kingdom

The Role of Business in Enhancing The Prosperity of Humankind - Walker,William; Nelson,Jane; Weinberg,Matthew (European Bahá'í Business Forum, 2001)
Three articles about exploring and implementing concepts from Prosperity of Humankind, including building partnerships, toward a new concept of prosperity, preservation of wildlife, and examples of successful initiatives.
Originally online as a free download from ebbf.org, preserved at ebbf.org/prosphum.htm [archive.org], and in French as PDF.
Keywords: Business; Environment; Prosperity; Sustainable development

The Role of Education in Building Material and Spiritual Civilization - Arbab,Farzam (2004)
Talk given by Dr. Arbab, member of the Universal House of Justice, at the Portals to Growth Conference, Australia, 2004. Mirrored with permission from ruhiresources.org.
Keywords: Education; Farzam Arbab

The Role of Material Goods in Spiritual Development - Poyer,Lin (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1989)
On the challenge to develop creative, satisfying ways to live within a mass production/mass consumption 'materialistic' society; seen properly, material things can assist individuals in their personal growth rather than being a source of alientation.
See commentary by Will C van den Hoonaard here. Mirrored with permission from the Journal of Bahá'í Studies past issues archive.
Keywords: Material means; Materialism; Sociology; Spirituality

"The Role of Material Goods in Spiritual Development," by Lin Poyer: Commentary - Hoonaard, van den,Will C. (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1989)
See original paper online here.
Keywords: Material means; Materialism; Sociology

The Role of Music in the Advancement of Civilization - Hart,Kerry (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1989)
Music is interrelated with feeling, value, and the very sense of self-identity. Nurturing an individual's sense of self-knowledge leads to mental and spiritual growth. Music, and its affect on the human soul, can be a foundation for philosophical inquiry.
See also journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/issue/archive.
Keywords: Music

The Role of Public Institutions in Ensuring Social Well-Being - Vedovi,Alex (Baha'i World, 2020)
Questions around government’s role in social welfare and the welfare state; Bahá'í perspectives on the government's role in supporting well-being; taxation, wealth, and poverty;
Mirrored from
Keywords: Charity and relief work; Consultation; Decision making; Donations; Government; Institutions; Prosperity; Secret of Divine Civilization (book); Taxation; Wealth and poverty; Work

The Role of the Bahá'í Scholar in Defending the Faith - Afnan,Muhammad (Associate, 2001)
The role of apologetics in the Bahá'í Faith is not merely to defend or prove, but to demonstrate that the Faith provides the means for obtaining knowledge of the truth, and to present the truths revealed by the Sacred Writings.
Paper presented at the ABS-ESE conference 'Foundational Issues in Bahá’í Studies,' Oxford, April 2000. Mirrored with permission from bahai-faith.manvell.org.uk. See also the full PDF for issue 33-34.

The Role of the Father in the Family - Russell,Graeme (The Family: Our Hopes and Challenges, 1995)
Practical steps to enhance the role of fathers in the family.
This document is no longer available at its original host; mirrored from archive.org. Author affiliation: Associate Professor
Keywords: Children; Education; Equality; Family; Fathers; Parents

The Role of the Feminine in the Bahá'í Faith - Woodman,Ross (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1995)
On the terms 'Masculine' and 'Feminine' as referring to 2 interdependent energies at work within the Manifestation of God and throughout creation, including the human individual; the important role of the 'Feminine' principle in the Bahá’í Faith.
See also Marion Woodman, The Role of the Feminine in the New Era. Mirrored with permission from journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/96.
Keywords: Christianity; Equality; Gender; God; God, Gender of; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Judaism; Maid of Heaven; Ross Woodman; Women

The Role of the Feminine in the New Era - Woodman,Marion (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1989)
The  unveiled feminine, symbolized by the unveiling of the Persian poet Táhirih at the conference of Badasht in 1848, announces a long-awaited coming of age or psychic integration.
See also Ross Woodman, The Role of the Feminine in the Bahá'í Faith. Mirrored with permission from the Journal of Bahá'í Studies past issues archive.
Keywords: Christianity; Equality; Gender; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Judaism; Literature; Literature, English; Maid of Heaven; Psychology; Tahirih (Qurratu'l-'Ayn, Zarrín-Táj); Women

The Role of Wonder in Creating Identity - Lawson,Todd (Religions, 2023)
The term badí', "wondrous" or "new," is used dozens of times by the Báb in his proclamatory work the Qayyúm al-Asmáʾ. Wonder plays a major role in Bábí and Bahá'í thought and practice, and in their ethos and message. Link to article (offsite).
Published in the Religions special issue "The Bahá'í Faith: Doctrinal and Historical Explorations," online at mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/6/762, where it is also available in HTML, XML, and epub formats. Files mirrored here with author's permission.
Keywords: Abraham; Alast (Primordial Covenant); Arabic language; Badi (term); Bahá'í Faith, Sect, NRM or World Religion; Bible; Christianity; Covenant; Creation; E-books (articles); Genuflections; Grammar; Henry Corbin; Hidden Imam; Identity; Interfaith dialogue; Iran (documents); Islam; Joseph (Prophet); Judaism; Obligatory prayer; Obligatory prayer, Long; Prayer; Pronouns; Qayyumul-Asma (book); Qayyumul-Asma (book), chapters; Renewal; Service; Servitude; Shia Islam (Shiism); Wordplay

The Roman Catholic Priesthood and Bahá'í Administration - Brogan,Kevin (Solas, 2002)
Helping Bahá’ís understand the theology and function of Roman Catholic Priesthood and helping Catholics understand how the elements of its priesthood (Leadership, Teaching, and Sacrament) are in many ways fulfilled in the Bahá’í Administration.
See also a PDF of the complete issue of Solas 2. Mirrored from breacais.demon.co.uk/abs/solas.
Keywords: Administration; Catholic Church; Christianity; Interfaith dialogue; Priesthood

The Routinization of Charisma?: Some Comments on “Motif Messianique et Processus Social dans le Bahá'ísme” - Smith,Peter (Occasional Papers in Shaykhi, Babi, and Baha'i Studies, 1998)
Discussion of sociologist Peter Berger and themes from his dissertation "From Sect to Church: A Sociological Interpretation of the Bahá'í Movement."
Unrevised reprint of a paper presented at the Bahá'í Studies Seminar, Lancaster, U.K., April 1977. An abridged version of this paper appeared as "Motif Research: Peter Berger and the Bahá'í Faith," Religion 8 (1978): 210-34. Mirrored with permission from www.h-net.org/~bahai/bhpapers/vol2/motif.htm.
Keywords: Peter Berger; Sociology

The Sabaeans and African-based Religions in the Americas - Universal House of Justice (Lights of Irfan, 2012)
Overview by the Research Department about the religion of the Sabaeans [aka Sabeans], and some indigenous practices in the southern Americas such as Yoruba, Santeria, and Brazilian Candomble.
Mirrored here with permission from irfancolloquia.org/u/justice_sabaeans.
Keywords: Africa; African religion; Auras; Balinus (Apollonius of Tyana); Brazil; Daniel (Bible); Diaspora, African; Hermes Trismegistus; Hinduism; Idol worship; Idris (Prophet); Interfaith dialogue; Iran (documents); Iraq; John the Baptist; Latin America; Mandaeans; Mind; Occultism; Philosophy; Possession; Psychic powers; Psychology; Reincarnation; Research Department, Questions and answers; Sabaeanism; Sabaeans; Seth; Silence; Spiritualism; Supernatural phenomena; Yoruba religion

The Sadratu'l-Muntahá: References to the Divine Lote Tree in Judaism, Christianity and Islam - Zein,Violetta, compiler (2023)
Short compilation from the writings of various Faiths, as well as the Bahá'í understanding of the divine Lote Tree, the Sadratu'l-Muntaha. There are also images of the physical lote tree which grows in Palestine.
Keywords: Devotion; Interfaith dialogue; Prayer; Sadratu'l-Muntahá (Lote Tree); Trees

The Sailor's Problem - Roskams,Ben (1995)
A short play about unity featuring Sherlock Holmes.
The following is a script by a young Bahá'í Ben Roskams, then (1995) 12 years, from Cardiff, Wales, UK. It was the first prize in his school's drama competition and was performed, with Ben as Holmes, in front of his school and visitors.
Keywords: Arts and crafts; Drama; Fiction; Plays; Sherlock Holmes; Unity

The Same Hesitant Rhythm - Kusserow,Brittany D. (2008)
An outsider's perspective of Bahá'í community participation in one small American city, and her response to Bahá'í views on homosexuality. Link to thesis (offsite).
See pages 12-19 for discussion of the Muncie Bahais. Honors thesis for Ball State University. A copy of this has been archived; email me if this link goes offline.
Keywords: Interfaith dialogue; LGBTQ

The Same Yet Different: Bahá'í Perspectives on Achieving Unity out of Difference - Vance,Deborah Clark (2002)
Based on in-depth interviews with members of the Bahá’í Faith [in the USA] to uncover a description of how they believe they can bring together diverse people; development of a linear model of multicultural communication.
See also a shorter published paper abridgement of this thesis. A Dissertation submitted to Howard University (Washington, DC), in partial fulfillment of the requirements for PhD, Department of Communication and Culture.
Keywords: Change; Conflict resolution; Cultural differences; Cultural diversity; Diaspora, African; Diaspora, Persian; E-books; Race; Racism; Sociology; Tests and difficulties; United States (documents); Unity; Unity in diversity

The Same Yet Different: Creating Unity Among the Diverse Members of the Bahá'í Faith - Vance,Deborah Clark (Journal of Intergroup Relations (a publication of the National Association of Human Rights Workers), 2002)
A study of the process by which people form a unified community from diverse cultures based on interviews with a small group of American Bahá’ís; the importance of foundational beliefs in this process; learning intercultural communication.
This paper is based on Vance's doctoral dissertation presented to the Department of Communication and Culture, Howard University, May 2002.
Keywords: Change; Conflict resolution; Cultural differences; Cultural diversity; Diaspora, African; Diaspora, Persian; Race; Racism; Sociology; Tests and difficulties; Unity; Unity in diversity