Usuli, Akhbari, Shaykhi, Babi: The Tribulations of a Qazvin Family - Momen,Moojan (Iranian Studies, 2003)
The emergence of the Usuli school in the evolution of Shi'is jurisprudence and theology in 18th and 19th-century Iran, viewed through the lens of the Baraghani family as it faced schisms of the Akhbari, Shaykhi, and Bábí movements.
Mirrored from nhbahais.com.
Keywords: Akhbari (Shiite school); Equality; Gender; Interfaith dialogue; Iran (documents); Islam; Jurisprudence; Qazvin, Iran; Shaykhism; Shia Islam (Shiism); Tahirih (Qurratu'l-'Ayn, Zarrín-Táj); Usuli (Shiite school); Women

Utterances of Abdu'l-Baha to Thomas Breakwell, Herbert Hopper, and Isabella D. Brittingham - Breakwell,Thomas; Brittingham,Isabella D.; Hopper,Herbert (1901)
Message to the believers in America, on the nature of evil, on universal language, on the number 9, and a conversation with Abu'l-Qasim, the gardener of the Ridvan.

Utterances of Abdul Beha Abas to Two Young Men, American Pilgrims to Acre - Abdul-Bahá (Board of Counsel, 1901)
Talks to pilgrims William Copeland Dodge and Wendall Dodge in Akka, November-December, 1901, published as a 24-page booklet.
While the "two young men" are not named in this document, they are identified by William Dodge in this talk.
Keywords: Akka, Israel; Pilgrims notes

Vaccination and Covid-19: Six Letters Regarding Issues of Vaccination in 2020 and 2021 - Universal House of Justice (2020)
Five letters sent in 2020 and 2021 on contemporary issues regarding vaccination, prefaced by letter from the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States. While not all directly mention Covid-19, they are all likely inspired by the topic.
All letters posted with permission of recipient, and shared in the Facebook "Bahá'í Studies" group. The titles given below, e.g. "UHJ to Individual re Obedience to Civil Law re Vaccinations," were taken from the filenames of the PDFs as posted. Also available as a formatted Word document (by M. Thomas, 2022). See also Vaccination: A Compilation, Covid-19 and Bahá'í Burial, and a NSA letter Covid-19 Vaccination Guidance.
Keywords: Conspiracy theories; Covid-19 (Corona virus); Health and healing; Misinformation and disinformation; Science; Vaccination

Vaccination: A Compilation - National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States, compiler (2019)
Brief compilation sent by email by the US NSA. Includes cover letter.
Keywords: Children; Health and healing; Science; Vaccination

Vahíd (Sayyed Yahyá Dárábí) - Momen,Moojan (Encyclopaedia Iranica, 1996)
Brief excerpt, with link to article offsite.
The following is an excerpt of the article at www.iranicaonline.org/articles/darabi-sayyed-yahya.
Keywords: Biography; Iran (documents); Vahid (Siyyid Yahyay-i-Darabi)

Valleys, Mountains, and Teacher Preparation - Johnson,Barbara K. V. (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2015)
The metaphor of the soul's journey through the Four Valleys illustrates the practical work of building a team of college and school-based practitioners in the Rocky Mountains to design a new program to prepare teachers for service in the public schools.
Mirrored from journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/200.

Valleys: Real, Symbolic and Holy Sites - Sharon,Moshe (2013)
The nature of the metaphor of a valley; biblical references and meanings in Hebrew; comparison with Islamic concepts; valleys in the revelation of Bahá'u'lláh.
This paper was first posted in Word format at Hebrew University of Jerusalem [archive.org], where the author was the Chair in Bahá'í Studies. See also the author's Prophets and Mountains.
Keywords: Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Judaism; Metaphors and allegories; Valleys

Valorando la espiritualidad en el Desarrollo: Consideraciones Iniciales en cuanto a la Creación de Indicadores de Base Espiritual para el Desarrollo - Bahá'í International Community (1998)
Consideraciones Iniciales en cuanto a la Creación de Indicadores de Base Espiritual para el Desarrollo, presentado al "Diálogo Mundial de las Fes y el Desarrollo."
Un trabajo escrito de concepto redactado que fue presentado al "Diálogo Mundial de las Fes y el Desarrollo", hospedado por el Presidente del Banco Mundial y el Arzopispo de Canterbury al Palacio de Lambeth, del 18 al 19 de febrero de 1998.
Keywords: BIC statements; Bahá'í International Community; Social and economic development; Statements

Values Education in Bahá'í Schools - Chapa,Jennifer; Diessner,Rhett (Education, Culture and Values, 2000)
A general introduction to a Bahá'í view of the purpose of education, along with a review of common principles and features of Bahá'í-inspired schools, with a multiculturally sensitive curriculum.
PDF below generated from Microsoft Word original.
Keywords: Bahá'í schools; Cultural diversity; Curriculum; Education; Ethics; Service

Various Books: 12 Books for Download - Cobb,Stanwood (1932)
Titles include: Discovering the Genius Within You, Sage of the Sacred Mountain, Radiant Living, Trouble: How to Meet It, Expanding Our Spiritual Consciousness, Joy of Existence, Scientific Study of the Hand, Thoughts on Education, Spiritual Power.
See also: bibliography in Word or PDF formats; biography Word or PDF formats, and My Memories of Stanwood Cobb.
Keywords: Stanwood Cobb

Various Books: 7 Books, Articles for Download - Browne,E. G. (1892)
Titles include: Catalogue of Persian and Arabic Manuscripts, India; Reign of Terror at Tabriz; Muhammad Hasan Isfandiyar's History of Tabaristan; Catalogue of Persian Manuscripts, University of Cambridge; Catalogue and Description of 27 Babi Manuscripts.
See also Catalogue and Description of 27 Bábí Manuscripts and Catalogue and Description of 27 Bábí Manuscripts 2.
Keywords: Baron Rosen; E. G. Browne; Iran (documents); Manuscripts; Tabríz, Iran

Various Books: 9 Books for Download - Remey,Charles Mason (1913)
Titles include: The Covenant; Observations of a Bahai Traveller; Through Warring Countries; Mashrak-el-Azkar; A Report to Abdul Baha; Bahai Revelation and Reconstruction; The New Day; Peace of the World.
Keywords: Charles Mason Remey; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Wilmette

Various Essays - McLean,Jack (Gulf Islands Driftwood, 1994)
43 essays on various topics, many with Bahá'í themes, most published in the Gulf Islands Driftwood of Salt Spring Island, BC.
Keywords: Animals; Belief; Consultation; Erich Fromm; Globalization; Laura Clifford Barney; Montreal, QC; Spirituality; Stanwood Cobb; Teaching; Tests and difficulties; Theology; Varqá, `Alí-Muhammad; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Second Western tour

Various Essays - Gammage,Susan (2013)
47 short essays on following the teachings and living a Bahá'í life, life coaching and counselling, recovery from substances or abuse, family matters, dreams, elections, debt, abortion, and more. Includes bios of Bruce Matthews and Caroline Lehmann.
Archive of essays originally written as blog posts for susangammage.com [archive.org]. Selected by author, and formatted by David Bowie (2023) for posting here.
Keywords: Abortion; Abuse; Addiction; African Americans; Alcohol; Anger; Backbiting and gossip; Biography; Bruce Matthews; Burial (funeral); Calamities and catastrophes; Calamities and catastrophes; Caroline Lehmann; Chastity; Consent (marriage); Consultation; Death; Detachment; Dreams and visions; Drugs; Education; Elections; Family; Food; Forgiveness; Forgiveness; Health and healing; Heaven and hell; Human nature; Life after death (afterlife); Living the life; Local Spiritual Assemblies; Marriage; Obedience; Parents; Plans; Psychology; Purpose of life; Relationships; Self; Suffering; Temptation; Tests and difficulties; Violence; Wealth and poverty; Will and testament (general); `Abdu'l-Bahá

Various essays - Goodrich,Carol R.; Leavitt,Rob; Langness,David; Doyle,Larry (dialogue magazine, 1986)
Five unrelated items: "The Philippines: Catholic Priests Detained and Murdered," "Two Halves Are Better Than One," "Vision Quest," "Emerging From...", and a Pogo comic mentioning Bahá'í Naw Ruz.
The following essays are not related and were not published in the same issues, but are included together for ease of filing and because they were not long enough to warrant posting as separate items. See also list of dialogue articles or image scans.

Various Interpretations of Dhu'l-Qarnayn - Abdul-Bahá (2024)
Provisional translations of three short extracts from Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, interpreting the Quranic figure of Dhu’l-Qarnayn’s historical and symbolic significance, distinguishing him from Alexander the Great.
Mirrored with permission from adibmasumian.com/translations, which includes typescripts of the original Persian and Arabic texts.
Keywords: Alexander the Great; Dhu al-Qarnayn; Imam Ali; Interpretation; Islam; Muhammad (Prophet); Quran; Tafsir-i-Ayat-i-az Suriy-i-Kahf (Commentary on a Verse from the Surih of the Cave); Yemen

Various questions: Psychic powers, Persepolis, portrait of Mulla Husayn, etc. - Universal House of Justice (2007)
Answers to: psychic powers and "natural" healing; 'Abdu'l-Bahá's statement on Persepolis; inauthenticity of a portrait of Mullá Husayn; a passage on childhood; list of sites for future Houses of Worship; Prayer of the Báb; and a jungle story.
Mirrored with permission from sites.google.com/site/akbweb.
Keywords: Children; Faith healing; Health and healing; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Mulla Husayn; Persepolis, Iran; Psychic powers

Various questions: Wordings in Promised Day is Come, Transliteration of vav, Pluralization and Case of Certain Words - Universal House of Justice (2021)
Answers on four topics: differences in wording in editions of The Promised Day Is Come; transliteration of the letter váv / wáw; the use of hybrid plurals, e.g. mullas; upper/lower case of certain words, e.g. "shah/Shah."
Submitted by recipient; original on file.
Keywords: Arabic language; Persian language; Promised Day is Come (letter); Transliteration and diacritics; Words and phrases

Varqá and His Son: A Talk by `Abdu'l-Bahá - Abdul-Bahá (2022)
English translation, and two transcripts of the Persian original, of a talk given by `Abdu'l-Bahá in New York on May 31, 1912.
Also available in Microsoft Word format (prepared by M.W. Thomas, 2022). See Persian original from Star of the West 3:18 (1913), pp. 11-12, online at bahai.works/Star_of_the_West/Volume_3/Issue_18. See also Star of the West Extracts.
Keywords: Iran (documents); Varqa; Varqa, Ruhullah; Varqá, Mírzá `Alí-Muhammad

Varqá and Rúhu'lláh: 101 Stories of Bravery on the Move - Handal,Boris (2020)
On the lives of Varqa, the physician and talented poet, and his gifted adolescent son Ruhu'llah, who travelled across Iran to teach the Faith before being martyred in 1896.
Purchase this book on amazon.com.
Keywords: Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh; Biography; Hands of the Cause; Iran (documents); Persecution, Deaths; Persecution, Iran; Teaching; Varqa; Varqa, Ruhullah; Varqa, Valiyullah; Varqá, Mírzá `Alí-Muhammad; Varqá, `Alí-Muhammad

Varqa and Son: The Heavenly Doves - Shahrokh,Darius (Windows to the Past, 1992)
History of the family of Varqa, the only family with the distinction of having a grandfather, a father, and a son all named Hand of the Cause.
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: Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh; Biography; Hands of the Cause; Iran (documents); Persecution; Persecution, Deaths; Persecution, Iran; Varqa, Ruhullah; Varqá, Mírzá `Alí-Muhammad

Varqá, Ali-Mohammad - Ayman,Iraj (Encyclopaedia Iranica, 2017)
Brief excerpt, with link to article offsite.
The following is an excerpt of the article at iranicaonline.org/articles/varqa-ali-mohammad.
Keywords: Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh; Births and deaths; Hands appointed by `Abdu'l-Bahá; Hands appointed by `Abdu'l-Bahá; Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Activities; Hands of the Cause, Appointments; Hands of the Cause, Births and deaths; In Memoriam; Iran (documents); Persecution; Persecution, Deaths; Persecution, Iran; Varqa; Varqa, Ruhullah; Varqá, Mírzá `Alí-Muhammad

Varqá, Wali-Alláh - Ayman,Iraj (Encyclopaedia Iranica, 2017)
Brief excerpt, with link to article offsite.
The following is an excerpt of the article at iranicaonline.org/articles/varqa-wali-allah.
Keywords: Bahá'í World Centre; Biography; Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Appointments; Huququllah, Trustees of; Huqúqu'lláh; Iran (documents); Miandoab, Iran; Tabríz, Iran; Tehran, Iran; Varqa; Varqa, Valiyullah

Verse - Various (Baha'i World, 1986)
Poems by Ruhiyyih Khanum, Giuseppe de Marco, Gilbert Robert, Martyn Burke, Audrey Marcus, Anneke Buys, Geoffrey Nash, Judith Partelow Provost, Adelbert Mühlschlegel, Larry Rowdon, Victor de Araujo, Shirin Sabri, Roger White, Bret Breneman, et al.
See Bahá'í World volume 18 table of contents.
Keywords: Poetry

Viaje al Interior de Persia: El itinerario de Rivadeneyra (1874-75) - Litvak,Lily (Ediciones del Serbal, 1987)
1-page overview of Bábí history and the Bahá'í/Azali split.

Victories and Crises - Khan,Peter J. (1995)
In this talk in the United States in 1995, a member of the Universal House of Justice speaks on the challenges facing the Bahá'ís of the world, and on mental tests.
First few minutes missing. See also two talks by Khan also from 1995, Mental Tests and Nature of Tests, and a 1995 letter from the Universal House of Justice on Mental Tests. Audio posted online at http://bahaimp3.narod.ru/eng.htm
Keywords: Crisis; Peter Khan; Tests and difficulties; Victory

Victory Promises - Bahá'u'lláh; Abdul-Bahá; Shoghi Effendi; Universal House of Justice (National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Hawaiian Islands, 1978)
Promises for success in spreading the Faith.
Text from Ocean; formatted by and mirrored with permission of R. Takkenberg from www.miscellanie.com/pdfdocs/comps/.
Keywords: Prophecies; Teaching; Victory

Videos for Deepening - Troxel,Duane (2004)
Four videos: The Life of the Báb, The Life of the Guardian, The Return of Christ, and What Do Bahá'ís Believe.
See also Powerpoints for Deepening. These videos are large and could be further compressed, but I lack video editing software; email me if you can help down-sample these videos.
Keywords: Báb, The; Deepening; Introductory; Jesus Christ; Prophecies; Return; Shoghi Effendi

Views from a Black Artist in the Century of Light - de Souza,Elizabeth (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2020)
On the experiences of Black artists; biographical notes on McCleary “Bunch” Washington; African-American spiritual songs.
Mirrored from journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/315. See also complete issue [PDF].
Keywords: African Americans; Arts and crafts; Biography; McCleary Washington {Bunch Washington); Painting; Shamsi Sedaghat; United States (documents)

Views of Akka, Haifa, Mt. Carmel, and Other Places: Photographs of "The Dwelling Place of the Most High," Authorized by Abdu'l-Baha - Troxel,Duane, editor (Bahá’í Publishing Society, 1911)
Pictures of Akká taken between 1903-1911, with historical annotations and bibliographical data added later, in 2007 by Troxel and in 2008 by Cary Enoch Reinstein.
Another version of this document was prepared for the Afnan Library in 2018: afnanlibrary.org/docs/english-european-books/views-of-acca-haifa-mt-carmel-and-other-places.
Keywords: Akka, Israel; Bahá'u'lláh, Shrine of (Bahjí); Bahá'í World Centre; Bahá'í World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; Haifa, Israel; Mount Carmel; Pilgrimage; Ridván garden (Akká); Visuals

Views of the Prophecies and Prophetic Chronology: Selected from Manuscripts of William Miller with a Memoir of His Life - Miller,William (Joshua V. Himes, 1842)
Miller's memoir; scriptural interpretation; Bible chronology; various addresses and lectures; various reviews and letters.
Keywords: Bible; Biography; Millennialism; Prophecies; William Miller

Views on Homosexuality - Universal House of Justice (2013)
On the need to overcome material nature including homosexuality; Bahá’ís not to judge or impose values and to treat those with a homosexual orientation sympathetically; no possibility for House to change Bahá’í marriage as between man and woman
Title added for this online version, not in original. See also a Letter on responding to attitude changes on homosexuality (UHJ, 2014) and The Baha’i Teachings and Homosexuality (offsite), a statement and FAQ on the official website of the Baháʼís of the United States.
Keywords: Homosexuality; Human rights; LGBTQ; Laws

Vignettes from the Life of 'Abdu'l-Baha - Honnold,Annamarie K., compiler (George Ronald, 1982)
Compilation of inspiring anecdotes pertaining to the Bahá'í way of life as demonstrated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the perfect Exemplar of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings, whose words and deeds were in total harmony and whose life serves as an example for all.
Mirrored from chupin.ru/library.
Keywords: Annamarie Honnold; Hidden Words, First (Arabic); Stories; Virtues; `Abdu'l-Bahá

Vineyard of the Lord: Mount Carmel Bahá'í Projects Updates - Various (Mount Carmel Bahá'í Projects Office of the Project Manager, 2000)
Two volumes of a multi-volume journal of essays and photographs showing the development of the Arc; progress reports; essay "Shrines and Gardens" by Beatrice Irwin; Haifa as the bride of Carmel; historical connection with India.
Keywords: Arc project; Bahá'í World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; Visuals

Violation of Baha'i and Civil Law - Universal House of Justice (1991)
Role of Spiritual Assemblies in regulating behavior of Bahá'ís, removal of administrative rights, and treatment of Bahá'ís convicted of a criminal offense.
Letter taken from the LSA Guidelines of the National Spiritual Assembly of New Zealand.
Keywords: Administrative rights; Behavior; Crime; Laws; National Spiritual Assemblies

Violence Against Women and Children - Universal House of Justice (American Baha'i, 1993)
Bahá’í principles on violence, sexual abuse, family dynamics, gender equality, consultation, child discipline, and community protection.
Letter dated January 24 1993, published November 23 1993. See original letter [bahai.org] and published version [bahai.works].
Keywords: Abortion; Abuse; Anger; Change; Children; Consultation; Discipline; Domestic violence; Education; Equality; Ethics; Family; Family consultation; Human rights; Justice; Marriage; Non-violence; Punishment; Respect; Sexual violence; Transformation; Trust; Violence; Women

Violence with Impunity: Acts of aggression against Iran's Bahá'í community - Bahá'í International Community (2013)
Book-length report on the rising tide of violence directed against the Iranian Bahá'í community 2005-20012, and the degree to which attackers enjoy impunity from prosecution or punishment.
See also a "trailer," or short promotional video, about this publication at youtube.com. See also a follow-up act in the US government, Kirk, Durbin Introduce Resolution Condemning Iran's Continued Persecution of Bahá'í Minority. Mirrored with permission from bic.org/violence-with-impunity.
Keywords: BIC statements; Bahá'í International Community; Impunity; Iran (documents); Justice; Opposition; Persecution; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Statements; Violence

Virgin countries and territories opened during the first year of the 10 Year Crusade 1953-1954 - Author unknown (Baha'i World, 1956)
Scanned by Kinko's for John Conkling. See also Index to Maps and charts in Bahá'í World volumes. See also bahai-library.com/virgin_territories_knights_bahaullah and bahai-library.com/roll_honor_knights_bahaullah.
Keywords: Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Pioneering; Teaching; Ten Year Crusade (1953-1963)

Virgin Islands, U.S. and British - Paccassi,Patricia (1995)
Article written in the mid-nineties for possible inclusion in the Bahá'í Encyclopedia, posted with permission at bahaihistorycaribbean.info. See also photos and history.
Keywords: Bahá'í history by country; Caribbean; Lesser Antilles; Virgin Islands, US

Virgin Territories Opened by the Knights of Baha'u'llah 1953-1990 - Author unknown (Baha'i World, 1998)
List of names and dates of pioneers and the NSAs responsible for opening territories.
Included in the book as a pull-out. See also Index to Maps and charts in Bahá'í World volumes. See also bahai-library.com/map_pioneers_crusade_1956 and bahai-library.com/roll_honor_knights_bahaullah.
Keywords: Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Maps; Pioneering; Teaching; Ten Year Crusade (1953-1963)

Vision and the Pursuit of Constructive Social Change - Hanson,Holly (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2020)
Observations about the elements of building new social structures; examples from moments in African American history in the United States to explore how constructive social change involves a systematic cultivation of vision; social transformation.
Mirrored from journal.bahaistudies.ca. See also complete issue [PDF].

Vision of Race Unity: America's Most Challenging Issue - National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States (1991)
A formal statement from the US NSA on "the most challenging issue confronting America."
Mirrored from
Keywords: Change; Conflict resolution; Cultural diversity; Economics; Education; Equality; Interracial marriage; Justice; National Spiritual Assembly, statements; Peace; Prejudice; Public discourse (discourses of society); Race; Race unity; Racism; Slavery; Social action; Social change; Statements; Transformation; United States (documents); Unity; Unity in diversity; Unity of humanity; Vision; Vision of Race Unity (statement); Wealth and poverty

Vision of Shoghi Effendi as Reflected in The Advent of Divine Justice - Thomas,Richard (1984)
Thomas’ presentation of this is mentioned on two pages of bahai.works/index.php?title=File:Bahá'í_News_647.pdf, "ABS Conference commemorates Guardian's vision," Bahá'í News no. 647, Feb, 1985, p. 3–5 (9th ABS conference, Nov 2-4 1984, Ottawa, CA). Originally posted at bahaistudy.org, archived at archive.org. Transcribed by H.B. (2021).
Keywords: Advent of Divine Justice (letter); Vision

Vision of Teaching - Arbab,Farzam
Audio posted online at http://bahaimp3.narod.ru/eng.htm
Keywords: Farzam Arbab; Teaching

Vision of the Future - Shoghi Effendi (2013)
Lengthy collection of passages from writings of the Guardian on the lesser peace and great peace, Bahá'í ages and epochs, future civilization, spiritualization, world order and commonwealth, sovereignty and world government, evolution of the Faith.
Mirrored with permission from iscandertinto.com, where the author notes "This research is based on material prepared by Mr. Hooper Dunbar, to whom I am very grateful for his guidance since 1988." [-I.T.] See also his Universal Cycles compilation.
Keywords: Epochs; Peace; Vision; World order

Vision Statement / Mandate of the Bahá'í Library Online - Winters,Jonah (2003)
Early description of content, intent, and functioning of the Bahá'í Library Online. Now outdated, but still a serviceable statement of purpose.
This document is now incomplete, and no longer fully describes the Bahá'í Library; see the updated Bahá'í Library Online at 25: Background, Functioning, and Future (2022). Additions to this document after 2003 I put in [brackets], below. Statement prepared for the International Conference on Bahá'í Libraries and Archives, January 2003 (and see another version of this statement in that document, pp. 78-79); see the PDF handout. See also an earlier report from 1999. See also bahaipedia.org/Bahai-library.com.
Keywords: Bahá'í Library Online

Visions of Peace, Strategies for Change: Bahá'í Books on Creating a New World Order - Garlington,William (dialogue magazine, 1986)
Reviews of To the Peoples of the World: A Bahá'í Statement on Peace, by the Universal House of Justice, World Peace and World Government, by Jan Tyson, and Circle of Peace. ed. Anthony Lee.
See also list of dialogue articles or image scans.
Keywords: Peace; Vision

Visiting the Bahá'í World Centre - Moffett,Ruth (1954)
Detailed memories of Ruth Moffett's visit to the Baha'i World Centre in 1954; words of Shoghi Effendi; travel teaching in Europe; questions of authenticity.
See obituary "Ruth J. Moffett 1880-1978," in
Keywords: Pilgrims notes; Ruth Moffett

Visits of the Hands of the Cause of God to Ireland - Omidvaran,Betsy (Solas, 2003)
An overview of all known visits by the Hands, the highest-ranking officers of the Bahá’í Faith, to Ireland. Review of the many historical sources about this largely-uninvestigated topic. Includes timeline of the visits between 1952 and 1986.
See also a PDF of the complete issue of Solas 3. Mirrored from breacais.demon.co.uk/abs/solas.
Keywords: Bahá'í history; Chronology and timelines; Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Activities; Ireland

Vivre la vie de la perspective de l'éternité - Hatcher,William S. (William S. Hatcher Library, 2002)
Fireside talk.
Mirrored with permission from william.hatcher.org.

Vojdani: Ou, La quête: drame en huit tableaux - Spierckel,Pierre (2007)
Drame relatant la recherche spirituelle de Vojdani telle que contée dans "Fire on the Mountain Top", joué par de jeunes gens bahá'ís et chercheurs.
Keywords: Arts and crafts; Drama; Fiction; Plays

Voluntad y Testamento de Abdu'l-Baha - Abdul-Bahá
Spanish translation of Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
Keywords: Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá

Voyage en Perse - Flandin,Eugene (Gide et J. Baudry, 1851)
A detailed travel diary, giving a sense of what Iran was like at the time of the Báb.
This book is available in a variety of formats at archive.org.
Keywords: E-books

Voyage to the Heart of the Koran: The Holy Book of Islám for Thinking Minds (By a Non-Muslim) - Garcia,David Russell (2003)
A lengthy overview of the Qur'án and its themes for a Bahá'í audience; holy war and fighting; reasons behind Islám's reputation as a war-like religion; theology of Islám vs. Christianity; laws and admonitions; spiritual and social principles; apocalypse.
For more on jinn, see On the Meanings of the Terms 'Angels' and 'Jinn' by Abdu'l-Bahá (provisional translation, 2019). Also available in Dutch translation.
Keywords: Adam and Eve; Angels; Bible; Book of Enoch; Christianity; Civilization; Clouds; Context, Taking verses out of; Creation; Culture, Western; Day of Resurrection (or Day of Judgment); Dead Sea scrolls; Decline and renewal of religion; Devil (Satan); Encouragement; Evil; Food; Forgiveness; Free will; God, Fear of; God, Mercy and compassion of; God, Will of; Heaven and hell; Hinduism; Human rights; Independent investigation of truth; Interfaith dialogue; Intermediary realm; Islam; Jesus Christ; Jihad (Holy war); Jinn (genie); Judaism; Justice; Kitáb-i-Íqán (Book of Certitude); Laws; Life after death (afterlife); Love; Mary (Mother of Jesus Christ); Metaphors and allegories; Miracles; Muhammad (Prophet); Non-violence; Peace; Philosophy; Plato; Polygamy; Progressive revelation; Prophecies; Prophets; Purity; Quran; Renaissance; Resurrection; Return; Reward and punishment; Science; Signs; Sin; Soul; Tests and difficulties; Trinity; Two seas; Ungodly; Unity of religion; Violence

Walking the Spiritual Path with Both Feet Planted Firmly on the Ground - Baldwin,Joyce (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2016)
Overview of the life of a Bahá'í native from indigenous-Tsimshian ancestry, who pioneered to Alaska and a reserve in Washington, and member of the LSA of Arcata, California. Includes reflections on teaching to Natives.
Mirrored from journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/210; offsite PDF and local copy both updated 2023-09. See also the complete issue [PDF].
Keywords: Alaska, USA; Arcata, CA; Biography; California, USA; Native Americans; Teaching; United States (documents); Washington, USA; Wrangell, AK

Walking the Tight-rope of Parenthood - Davidson,John A.; Wood,Christine (The Family: Our Hopes and Challenges, 1995)
Description of a Bahá'í parenting program created by a "Marriage and Family Development" committee.
This document is no longer available at its original host; mirrored from archive.org. Author affiliation: University of Tasmania
Keywords: Children; Education; Family; Parents

Walter and Emma Jones Bahá'í Archive Photo Album - Jones,Walter; Jones,Emma Maxie (2008)
Album of 475 annotated images of Bahá'í friends and associates of the Walter (1888-1990) and Emma Maxie (1904-1984) Jones family, from 1925 to 1994.
Collection prepared by Ernie Jones 2008; updated for posting here 2022. See also Emma Maxwell (Maxie) Jones Collection.
Keywords: Archives; Emma Maxie Jones; United States (documents); Visuals

War of Worlds: A commentary on the two texts in their historical context - Hamburg,Gary (Russian-Muslim Confrontation in the Caucasus: Alternative visions of the conflict between Imam Shamil and the Russians, 1830-1859, 2004)
3-page excerpt on Leo Tolstoy (Lev Tolstoi), his relationship with the Bahá'í Faith, and his study of the Babis.
Keywords: Leo Tolstoy (author); Russia

War, Governance, and Conscience in This Age of Transition - National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States (The Baha'i National Review, 1969)
A whitepaper on issues of Bahá'í involvement in the military services.
See also Information for Bahá'ís called to fill out the Questionnaire on military duty (1940) and a letter on military service (1965).
Keywords: Government; Military; Military (armed forces); Obedience; Politics; War; Weapons

Warwick Leaflets - Warwick Bahá'í Bookshop (LSA of the Bahá'ís of Warwick, UK, 1989)
A series of brochures for seekers and new Bahá'ís explaining basic Bahá'í teachings.
Keywords: Basics; Introductory; Warwick, England

Water as a symbol used in the Sacred Writings - Bahá'u'lláh; Abdul-Bahá; Shoghi Effendi (2002)
Keywords: Environment; Symbolism; Water (metaphor)

Way to Inner Freedom: A Practical Guide to Personal Development, by Erik Blumenthal: Review - Smith,Dawn K. (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1989)

We Are All Iranian Bahá'ís! - Keshtgar,Ali (2008)
The Hojjatieh Society, Nobel Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, human rights, and defending Bahá'ís. Includes Persian text.

We are overdue to honour our end of our covenant with God - Slavin,Ted (St. Catharines Standard, 2010)
Overview of the meanings of the Covenant, from a personal perspective.
Mirrored with permission of author from stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2264573.

We can do without fences built by prejudice - Slavin,Ted (St. Catharines Standard, 2011)
Just as a windstorm knocks down fences, struggles can unite strangers and overcoming barriers will improve communities.
Mirrored with permission of author from www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=3124463.
Keywords: Newspaper articles; Prejudice; Unity

We Kept the Light Bulb On: An Interview with Ellerton and Marjorie Harmer - Uzzell,Charles (2000)
Short overview of the lives of the first pioneers to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.
Originally posted at mindspring.com [archived].
Keywords: Biography

We Shouldn't Be Afraid to Talk about Religion - Kapsalis,Madeleine (2022)
Excerpt from a longer talk, describing a Christian's interfaith encounter with Bahá'ís and being invited to teach Sunday school at Wilmette.
Transcript prepared by Doug Couper from video online at youtube.com/watch?v=iqvAwt8gzM0.
Keywords: Alan Coupe; Illinois, USA; Interfaith dialogue; United States (documents); Wilmette, IL

We shouldn't occupy ourselves with the faults of others - Slavin,Ted (St. Catharines Standard, 2010)
Bahá'ís are encouraged to speak well of others, avoid back-biting, and follow the examples of the Manifestations and Abdu'l-Bahá.
Mirrored with permission of author from stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2187349.

Wealth, Redistribution of - Bahá'u'lláh; Abdul-Bahá; Shoghi Effendi; Universal House of Justice
Extract from "Jurisprudence and the Distribution of Wealth" followed by compilation "The Redistribution of Wealth — Some Specific Measures."
Date unknown. Also available as a nicely-formatted PDF, prepared by Romane Takkenberg.
Keywords: Economics; Equality; Huqúqu'lláh; Prosperity; Wealth and poverty

Web and Weft of Civilisation: Art and Learning in the Bahá'í Community - Floyd,Aodhan (Solas, 2002)
One of the challenges of the 5 Year Plan (2001-2006) is enhancing the relationship between education and art. Learning through the arts can enrich communities and help integrate societies. Education is the most effective way to shape values.
See also a PDF of the complete issue of Solas 2. Mirrored from breacais.demon.co.uk/abs/solas.

Wellspring of Guidance: Messages of the Universal House of Justice 1963-68 - Universal House of Justice (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969)
Collection of letters from the first years after the creation of the Universal House of Justice.
The body of this text was scanned from the first edition, published in 1969. The title and copyright pages are reproduced from from the 1976 edition. Messages dated after April 22, 1968 were removed from the 1976 edition and were included instead in Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1968-73. [- TL, 2002] Add or read quotations or links pertaining to this work here.
Keywords: Universal House of Justice, Letters and messages

Western Islamic Scholarship and Bahá'í Origins - Afnan,Muhammad; Hatcher,William S. (Religion, 1985)
A critique of articles by Denis MacEoin, and a defense of Bahá'í interpretations of history vis-à-vis academic criticism.
See follow-up discussions of this at Debates between MacEoin et al., specifically MacEoin's Bábí Concept of Holy War and his article on 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Also available as a proofread Word document, prepared by Mike Thomas.
Keywords: Criticism and apologetics; Jihad (Holy war); Nayriz, Iran; Qayyumul-Asma (book); Scholarship; Shaykh Tabarsí siege; Zanjan, Iran

Western Liberal Democracy as a New World Order? - Karlberg,Michael (Baha'i World, 2007)
Is the Western model of democracy the natural and nevitable way to organize free and enlightened societies?
Also available in Spanish and Persian. Mirrored with permission from author's website, myweb.wwu.edu [archive.org]
Keywords: Democracy; Politics

Whanau (extended family) Structures as an Innovative Intervention into Maori Educational and Schooling Crises - Smith,Graham Hingangaroa (The Family: Our Hopes and Challenges, 1995)
The development of an innovative response by the indigenous Maori people of New Zealand to the dual crises of Maori educational underachievement on the one hand and to the loss of Maori language, knowledge and culture on the other.
This document is no longer available at its original host; mirrored from archive.org. Author affiliation: Education Department, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
Keywords: Community (general); Cultural diversity; Education; Ethics; Family; Indigenous people; Language; Maori people; New Zealand

What A Young Man Learned from Laura Rumney Davis about Shoghi Effendi - McLean,Jack (2007)
Interview with Laura Davis, "The Mother of the Toronto Bahá’í Community," and some recollections of the Guardian.
Mirrored with permission from iamanaref.blogspot.ca.
Keywords: Biography

What Did They Die For? - Ahdieh,Hussein (IranWire, 2019)
Reflections on the Bahá'ís of Iran, the discrimination and brutality they have faced, and how their plight brought the faith out of obscurity.
From iranwire.com/en/blogs/26/6255.
Keywords: Iran (documents); Persecution; Persecution, Iran

What Do Bahá'ís Believe about Gender? - Buchanan,Gleibys L. (Washington Post, 2011)
Bahá'ís believe that gender equality must be manifested as a social reality.
Mirrored from washingtonpost.com. Author affiliation: Representative for the Advancement of Women, US NSA
Keywords: Equality; Gender; Newspaper articles; Women

What Do Baha'is Know About Dreams? - Gammage,Susan, compiler (2014)
How dreams are described in the Bahá'í Faith, dreams vs. visions, kinds and purposes of dreams, interpreting dreams, and further resources.
Mirrored with permission from ninestarsolutions.com. See also this compilation by Fadil Mazandarani.
Keywords: Dreams and visions

What does a Baha'i look like? Look around you - Slavin,Ted (St. Catharines Standard, 2011)
What distinguishes Bahá'ís and Bahá'í culture.
Mirrored with permission of author from stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3318890.

What Does Spirituality Look Like? - Sarracino,Robert Sinclair (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2024)
Overview of the concepts of spirit and spirituality in the Bahá’í writings; discussion of a letter from the House on what spirituality should look like today; can the social sciences investigate the phenomenon of spirituality as central to human nature.
Mirrored with permission from journal.bahaistudies.ca. See also the complete issue [PDF].
Keywords: Spirituality

"What I Want to Say is Wordless": Mystical Language, Revelation and Scholarship - Velasco,Ismael (Lights of Irfan, 2001)
If the Word of God transcends words and letters, what point is there to Scripture, let alone to scholarship; the paradox of a history of writers penning volumes on a subject which they assert cannot be grasped by language; the relevance of mysticism.
Presented at the Irfan Colloquia Session #28, London School of Economics (July 14-6, 2000).Mirrored with permission from irfancolloquia.org/28/velasco_apophatic.
Keywords: Christianity; God; Interfaith dialogue; Irfan Colloquia; Language; Mysticism; Revelation; Scholarship; Sufism

What is a Content Management System? - Winters,Jonah (2003)
A brief overview of the technology underlying the Bahá'í Library Online circa 2003, and why this technology represents the next step in the Internet's evolution [since this essay was written, the term Web 2.0 has been popularized for said "next step"].
Presented to the Bahá'í Language Educators Special Interest Group session of the Association for Bahá'í Studies Conference, August 29 2003, San Francisco. See also Notes about and history of the Bahá'í Library Online, Mandate/Vision, and Organizing Digital Collections: The Case of the Bahá'í Academics Resource Library (D. Valeda, 2003) from the International Conference on Bahá'í Libraries and Archives. This is a brief summary written by a layperson, not a polished article. I prepared it so that users of the Bahá'í Library Online (myself included!) would better understand the way this new system works and its potential. See also wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0.
Keywords: Bahá'í Library Online; Internet; Software

What Is Bahá'í Education? - Boicu,Filip (2022)
different current expectations about what should fall under the topic of "Bahá’í education"; three types of curricula (FUNDAEC, Anisa, BIHE) and their theoretical sources; these must be drawn together into a field of study; the importance of universities.
Webinar presented for the Wilmette Institute. Also online at academia.edu.
Keywords: Anisa Educational Model; Bahá'í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE); Curriculum; Education; FUNDAEC; Universities

What is Bahá'í Orientalism? - Nash,Geoffrey (Humanities, 2021)
Postcolonial theory can help analyze religious writing; Edward Said and the concept of mutual othering; power and knowledge are linked in the production of Orientalist discourse. Link to article (offsite).
Link to the author's PDF posted at researchgate.net/profile/Geoffrey-Nash-2. Originally posted at mdpi.com/2076-0787/10/1/2.
Keywords: Criticism and apologetics; Interfaith dialogue; Iran (documents); Islam; Middle East; Modernism; Orientalism; Palestine; Persecution; Persecution, Iran; Scholarship; Shoghi Effendi, Writings of; Turkey

What Is Baha'i?: World's Newest Major Religion - Binsky,Drew (2020)
Transcript prepared by Doug Couper from video online at youtube.com/watch?v=9qDN0COSvds.
Keywords: Alan Coupe; Introductory; Rainn Wilson

What is Baha'u'llah's Message to the Sufis? - Law,Roberta (1998)
Nature of Sufism and Bahá'u'lláh's teachings for the Sufi community, especially as contained in the Seven Valleys.
Written for the Wilmette Institute
Keywords: God; Haft Vádí (Seven Valleys); Interfaith dialogue; Laws; Manifestations of God; Mysticism; Sufism

What is Behaism - Bixby,James T. (North American Review, 1912)
An outsider's early overview of Bahá'í history and teachings. Includes discussion of Bahá'í re-interpretations of prophecy
Also available as PDF: bixby_what_is_behaism.pdf
Keywords: Introductory; Prophecies

What Is God? - Cobb,Stanwood (The Avalon Press, 1955)
Poetic meditations on the nature of God and our search for the divine, "an attempt to open up vistas into the Infinite in a way that prose could not accomplish."
From hathitrust.org/Record/006537153.
Keywords: God; Philosophy; Poetry; Stanwood Cobb

What Is "Luck"? - Afroukhteh,Youness Khan (Memories of Nine Years in Akka, 1952)
Pilgrims' notes of words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
Keywords: Darkness; God, Grace and bounty of; Luck (fortune); Nature; Storms; Tests and difficulties

What is Religious Humanism: A Bahá'í Viewpoint - Merchant,Ali K. (Global Religious Vision, 2000)
Religious institutions are often viewed as irrelevant to the concerns of the modern world. Apparent differences don't disprove the essential unity of religion, or its teaching that humans are essentially good and have a purpose in life.
Mirrored from globalvisionpub.com.

What is the Baha'i Faith?: History, overview, and more! - I Am Your Target Demographic (2022)
Transcript prepared by Doug Couper from video online at youtube.com/watch?v=IpV0rJIy8T4.
Keywords: Alan Coupe; Introductory

What is the Iranian government so afraid of? - Slavin,Ted (St. Catharines Standard, 2011)
The value of education, and the forced closing of the Bahá'í Institute for Higher Education in Iran.
Mirrored with permission of author from www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=3166411.

What is there to grieve about? - Abdul-Bahá (2011)
Keywords: Covenant-breaking; Opposition; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Writings and talks of

What It Is to Be a Bahá'í?: A Letter to the Bahá'í Youth from Ruhiyyih Khanum - Khanum,Ruhiyyih (1948)
The object of life to a Bahá'í is to promote the oneness of mankind.
See also To the Bahá'í Youth (R. Khanum, undated) and Identify of Man Who Asked "What is the object of life to a Bahá'í?" (UHJ, 2004).
Keywords: Amatul-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum; Life (general); Purpose of life; Shoghi Effendi; Unity of humanity; Youth

What Stanwood Cobb Told Me about 'Abdu'l-Bahá - McLean,Jack (2007)
Reflections on Cobb's life and his recollections of Abdu'l-Bahá, partly based on two personal interviews.
Mirrored with permission from jack-mclean.com. Proofread and edited for posting here.
Keywords: Biography; Kahlil Gibran; Stanwood Cobb; `Abdu'l-Bahá

What's New in Version 4 - Winters,Jonah (2012)
Some useful search and interface changes for 2012, in conjunction with the 15th birthday of the Bahá'í Library.
See also Version 5, and history of past versions.
Keywords: Bahá'í Library Online

What's New in Version 5 - Winters,Jonah (2013)
Updates to BLO code. (This page was originally a list of structural improvements for Bahá'í Library and its expansion, planning for which began in 2013, and a redevelopment team convened in 2021 and funded in 2023; then the project reset/forked in 2024).
See also our complete to-do list, history of past versions, Version 4 and the 2022 update Bahá'í Library Online at 25: Background, Functioning, and Future, and the future Version 6.
Keywords: Bahá'í Library Online

Whatever happened to the Double Crusade? - Mitchell,Glenford (1996)
Lengthy commentary on the progress of teaching and the Four Year Plan, delivered at Foundation Hall in Wilmette. Includes discussion of the travels and teaching work of Leonora Armstrong.
Transcribed from a recording by Rhonda Wittorf; posted with permission of speaker. Title supplied by editor.
Keywords: Four Year Plan (1996-2000); Latin America; Leonora Holsapple Armstrong; Teaching; United States (documents)

When Saddam Hussein's Number Comes Up - Zafar,Said (Globe and Mail, 1991)
Brief article on the history and symbolism of the number 19, with mention of the Bahá'ís and Saddam Hussein's tolerance of religious minorities.
Keywords: Nineteen (number)

When Science and Religion Merge: A Modern Case Study - Oskooi,Salman (2009)
The problem of disharmony between scripture and science is rooted in an unwarranted misattribution of scriptural inerrancy.
Thesis for Master of Arts in Philosophy, San Diego State University, 2009.
Keywords: Science

When the Bombs Drop: Reactions to Disconfirmed Prophecy in a Millennial Sect - Balch,Robert W.; Farnsworth,Gwen; Wilkins,Sue (Sociological Perspectives, 1983)
An academic article about the prophetic expectations of a covenant-breaker group, Baha’is Under the Provisions of the Covenant, who claimed the world would end on April 29, 1980.
See also a follow-up article, Fifteen Years of Failed Prophecy: Coping with cognitive dissonance in a Baha’i sect. The "Bahá'í sect" discussed in this article is not affiliated with the Bahá'í Faith, follows a different set of writings, and has been sued by the legal trademark holders for illegitimate use of Bahá'í terms; see WIPO Domain Name Dispute: Case D2005-0214, "uhj.net". On whether the real Bahá'í Faith has "sects," see The Covenant, Bahá'u'lláh's "Supreme Gift", Protects The Bahá'í Faith From Schism (offsite). Mirrored from sites.google.com.
Keywords: Covenant-breaking; Prophecies

When the Saints Come Marching In: The Art of Bahá'í Biography - Morrison,Sidney Edward; Lewis,Frank (dialogue magazine, 1986)
Comments on hagiography, including reviews of nine popular Bahá'í biographies. Includes response "In Praise of Saints" by Frank Lewis (from dialogue 1:3).
Abdu'l-Bahá's Memorials of the Faithful, O.Z. Whitehead's Some Bahá'ís to Remember and Early Bahá'ís of the West, Nathan Rutstein's He Loved and Served, Dorothy Freeman's From Copper to Gold, et al. See also list of dialogue articles or image scans.
Keywords: Attar (poet); Biographies (general); Biography; Criticism and apologetics; Curtis Kelsey; Dorothy Baker; George Townshend; Hagiography; Louis G. Gregory; Martha Root; Memorials of the Faithful (book); Priceless Pearl (book); Shoghi Effendi; Style (Writings); `Abdu'l-Bahá, Exemplar

When We In/visibilize Our Nobility... - Sattarzadeh,Sahar D. (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2020)
On the Violence Against Women Act; domestic violence and resilience; reimagining resistance and visibilizing justice; visualizing nobility as a meditation; our spiritual afterlives.
Mirrored from journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/319. See also complete issue [PDF].

Whence? Why? Whither?: Man, things, other things - Dodge,Arthur Pillsbury (Ariel Press, 1907)
Meditations on the purpose of humanity, the reality of religion, signs of the Kingdom, racism, and prophecies fulfilled. Includes response to a speech on politics and history by Cornell University president Andrew D. White. Not yet proofread.
Original from archive.org; proofread and formatted as PDF by Ernie Jones (2017); also available in Microsoft Word format.

Where the Future Nests: 19th Century Babi and Bahá'í Photography - Mottahedeh,Negar (2009)
Audio mirrored from gulfc.haifa.ac.il [archive.org]. Video from Youtube, also online at iranianstudies.ca/bahai/mottahedeh.htm.
Keywords: 19th century; Film; Iran (documents); Photography; Talks; Visuals

Whether Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb Met, Indications in the Writings and Historical Records Relative to the Question - Universal House of Justice (Andalib, 1985)
Overview of sources indicating that Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb never met in person.
Mirrored from bahaistudies.net/meeting.html
Keywords: Bahá'u'lláh; Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb; Báb, The; Christianity; Interfaith dialogue; Iran (documents); Jesus Christ, Transfiguration of; Research Department, Questions and answers

Whilst He Was in Suleymaniah: Extracts and poems from the memoirs of Nabil Zarandi - Nabil-i-Azam (2002)
Handful of short extracts and poems from the memoirs of Nabíl-i-A`zam [aka Mullá Muḥammad-i-Zarandí, aka Nabíl-i-Zarandí]. on the conduct of the Bábís in 'Iráq during Bahá'u'lláh's self-imposed exile. From Nabil's unpublished narrative.
Keywords: Baghdad, Iraq; Bahá'u'lláh; Iraq; Nabil-i-Azam; Poetry; Sulaymaniyyih, Iraq

Whispers of Angels: Poems - McLean,Jack (1990)
A collection of 89 poems dedicated to the author's father.
Mirrored with permission from jack-mclean.com.
Keywords: Poetry

White Bahá'í Men as a sub-group combatting racism - Universal House of Justice (American Baha'i, 2000)
Use of the phrase "white Bahá'í men" in an anti-racism project in North Carolina.
Reprinted in The American Bahá'í, August 20, 2000, Vol. 31, No. 6, pp. 1, 5
Keywords: North Carolina, USA; Race; United States (documents); Unity

White Dog - Bohnhoff,Maya Kaathryn (Interzone, 1999)
Beauty truly is in the eye, or perhaps the heart, of the beholder.
This story was nominated to the final ballot of the 1999 British Science Fiction award. It also appears in I Loved Thy Creation, a 2006 collection of Maya Bohnhoff's short fiction from Juxta Publishing.
Keywords: Science fiction; Stories

Whither the International Auxiliary Language? - Chew,Phyllis Ghim-Lian (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1989)
The Bahá'í Faith has promised that a day will come when there will be a universal auxiliary language taught in schools around the world. This promise is vital for peace and harmony. English and Esperanto have both strengths and flaws.
See also Commentary (Gilman, 1990).
Keywords: English language; Esperanto; International auxiliary language

"Whither the International Auxiliary Language?" by Phyllis Ghim Lian Chew: Commentary - Gilman,Susan (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1990)
See also original article.
Keywords: International auxiliary language

Whiting, Lilian - Clegg,Blanche Cox (American National Biography Online, 2000)
Whiting (1847-1942) was an American journalist, essayist, and poet; a religious seeker, she showed interest in the Bahá'í teachings.
Excerpted from anb.org. Also available in PDF.
Keywords: Biography

Who are the Bahá'ís?: The Forgotten 4th Abrahamic Faith - Stahl,Mason (2019)
An introductory educational video on the history and community of Bahá'ís, the 4th (or 5th) Abrahamic religion with several million followers worldwide and communities in nearly every nation.
Transcript prepared by Doug Couper from video online at youtube.com/watch?v=nNhkaDfzUWI. Note: this video uses a variant pronunciation of the Báb (short instead of long 'a') and incorrectly uses the definite article before Bahá'u'lláh; engaging images, graphs and insights offset the fast narrative and run-on sentences.
Keywords: Alan Coupe; Introductory

Who is Writing the Future? Reflections on the Twentieth Century, by Bahá'í International Community: Review - Palin,Iain S. (Baha'i Journal (UK), 1999)
Mirrored with permission from http://www.iol.ie/~isp/y2k/review.htm
Keywords: Future; Who is Writing the Future (statement)

"Who is Writing the Future? Reflections on the Twentieth Century": Thoughts on the Statement Prepared by the Bahá'í International Community's Office of Public Information - McLean,Jack (2001)
Reflections on the structure and themes of this document.
Keywords: Future; Who is Writing the Future (statement)

Who is Writing the Future?: Reflections on the Twentieth Century - Bahá'í International Community (1999)
A statement on the current state of human society and its evolution, by the BIC's Office of Public Information.
Keywords: BIC statements; Bahá'í International Community; Basics; Future; Science; Statements; Who is Writing the Future (statement)

Who Is Writing the Future?: Summary outline - Hassall,Graham (1999)
Summary of the BIC statement "Who is Writing the Future: Reflections on the Twentieth Century"
See original document at bahai-library.com/bic_writing_future.
Keywords: Outlines and summaries; Study guides; Who is Writing the Future (statement)

Who Was a Bahá'í in the Upper Echelons of Qájár Iran? - Momen,Moojan (Religions, 2023)
The nature of multiple religious identities in a traditional society; five criteria by which many individuals can be identified as having secretly been Bahá'ís in the ruling society and administration of Qájár Iran. Link to article (offsite).
Published in the Religions special issue "The Bahá'í Faith: Doctrinal and Historical Explorations," online at mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/4/469, where it is also available in HTML, XML, and epub formats.
Keywords: Crypto believers; Iran (documents); Qajar dynasty; Royalty

Who Was Archangel, the Potowatami Woman on Whose Land the Wilmette Temple Was Built? - Velasco,Ismael (2011)
Brief investigation into the surname "Ouilmette" (Wilmette), and the identity of a Native American girl named Archangel whose home was at one time on this point of land.
Originally posted as a research note to the Tarikh email list.
Keywords: Biography; Illinois, USA; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Wilmette; United States (documents); Wilmette, IL

Who Was Daniel Jordan?: A Tribute - Bookwalter,Wm. Keith (1992)
Detailed overview of the life and thought of Dr. Jordan, philosopher and educator.
Also available in Microsoft Word format.
Keywords: Anisa Educational Model; Biography; Dan Jordan

Who Was Thomas Breakwell? - Weinberg,Robert (Baha'i Journal (UK), 1997)
Brief biography of the first English Bahá'í and an individual central in early European Bahá'í community.
Written for the Centenary of the Bahá'í Faith in the United Kingdom. Original site defunct; archived at archive.org.
Keywords: Biography; Thomas Breakwell

Who Will Bell the Cat?: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at Lake Mohonk - Ruhe-Schoen,Janet (2012)
History of the Lake Mohonk conference center and addresses there by Alí Kulí Khán in 1911 and Abdu'l-Bahá and 1912.
PDF below created from Word document mirrored from academia.edu/...The_Story_of_Abdul-Bahas_Visit_to_Lake_Mohonk
Keywords: Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration; Proclamation, public; `Alí Kulí Khán

Why Are We Here: Meaning of Life: Warwick Leaflets - Warwick Bahá'í Bookshop (2003)
Keywords: Basics; Happiness; Interfaith dialogue; Introductory; Life (general); Progressive revelation; Purpose of life; Soul; Spirituality; Suffering; Virtues

Why Constructive Resilience? An Autobiographical Essay - Penn,Michael L. (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2020)
Reflections on growing up African-American; guidance from and a meeting with William Hatcher; the relationship between stress and anxiety, depression, and powerlessness; the practice of constructive resilience.
Mirrored from journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/314. See also complete issue [PDF].
Keywords: African Americans; Biography; Depression; North Carolina, USA; Resilience; Tests and difficulties; United States (documents)

Why freedom matters: Adding spirituality to Amartya Sen's interpretation on freedom - Varqa,Sathia (2006)
The aim of this paper is to argue why freedom matters to individual being. This is done with reference to the work of Amartya Sen, the 1998 Nobel Prize recipient for economics.
Keywords: Amartya Sen; Economics; Freedom and liberty; Philosophy

Why Indigenous Peoples Are Distinctive - Podger,Sue (Bahá'í Studies in Australasia vol. 3, 1996)
The Bahá'í Faith supplies the direction to follow in the healing of the planet and its peoples. Do indigenous peoples have a special role in bringing about change in mankind's relationship to reality?
This document is no longer available at its original host; mirrored from archive.org.
Keywords: Indigenous people

Why only Baha'is can contribute to the Baha'i funds: The political economy perspective - Varqa,Sathia (2006)
An exploration of why only Bahá'ís have the right and privilege of giving to the Bahá'í fund, demonstrated using the economic concept of rent. The comparison is extended to explain some of the motives of interest groups and political institutions...
Keywords: Economics; Funds; Membership; Politics

Why the Bahá'í Faith Is Not Pluralist - Martin,Grant S. (Lights of Irfan, 2007)
Argues against Seena Fazel that the Bahá’í Faith is not a form of religious pluralism.
Mirrored with permission from irfancolloquia.org/u/martin_pluralist. See also Religious Pluralism and the Bahá'í Faith.
Keywords: Interfaith dialogue; Irfan Colloquia; Pluralism; Relativism; Unity of religion

Why There are No Women in the Universal House of Justice - Chupin,Vladimir (2011)
Upon learning that it is forbidden to elect women to the Universal House of Justice, many people become puzzled, given the Faith's strong emphasis on the equality of the sexes. This essay offers some perspectives.
Mirrored from chupin.ru.
Keywords: Equality; Gender; Universal House of Justice; Universal House of Justice, Membership on; Women

Why We Need Bahá'í Theology - McLean,Jack (1995)
A short definition of theology, its relationship with scholarship in general, and the role of apologetics.
Mirrored with permission from jack-mclean.com.
Keywords: Bahá'í studies; Scholarship; Theology

Wider Horizon: Selected Messages of the Universal House of Justice 1983-1992 - Universal House of Justice (; Palabra Publications, 1992)
Add or read quotations or links pertaining to this work here.
Keywords: Ridván messages; Universal House of Justice, Letters and messages

Wildfire: Reflections on Music, Drama, and Dance - Dely,Istvan (Juxta Publishing, 2006)
Istvan Dely's reflections on music, dance and drama within the Bahá'í community.
Mirrored with permission from juxta.com. See publisher's electronic distribution license.
Keywords: Arts and crafts; Dance; Drama; Music

Will and Testament Blank Preamble - Garis,Dalton, compiler (2020)
A template for a personal will, free for any Bahá'í to use.
Keywords: Death; Inheritance; Will and testament (general)

Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha: A Commentary - Hofman,David (Baha'i World, 1945)
Original essay first published in The Bahá'í World, vol. IX 1940-44 (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Committee, 1945), republished by George Ronald (Oxford), 4th ed. 1982. 1989 edition also available in Microsoft Word format, prepared by M. Thomas (2023).
Keywords: Covenant; David Hofman; Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá

Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá: Study Outlines - Zamir,Brett, compiler (2002)
Add or read comments or links pertaining to the work this outline is covering here. Files generated with "NoteTaker 2003 1.5.4" for the Macintosh--not yet capable of exporting xml files with HMTL links added.
Keywords: Outlines and summaries; Study guides; Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá

Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Bahá - Abdul-Bahá (1992)
'Abdu'l-Bahá's Will and Testament consists of three parts - all three written in His own hand. The first one was revealed around 1905 and the second and third sometime around 1907.
See also the official version at bahai.org. A scan of the Persian original is online here. See also a scan of the first official English edition, sent to a select number of Bahá'ís in the United States and Canada in February 1925. Add or read quotations or links pertaining to this work here.
Keywords: Charters of the Bahá'í Faith; Covenant; Covenant-breaking; Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Writings and talks of

Will and Testament of Abdul Baha, The: An Analysis, by Ahmad Sohrab: Review - Author unknown (The Christian Century, 1944)
This brief mini-review was included in the section "Books Received".
Keywords: Ahmad Sohrab; Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá

Will and Testament of The Báb - Báb, The (Lights of Irfan, 2007)
One-page scan of a document commonly, though inaccurately, referred to as the "Will and Testament."
This was included as an attachment to a Letter from the UHJ, Designation of Mirza Yahya in the Writings of the Bab. See also its other attachment Excerpt from Making the Crooked Straight. Mirrored with permission from irfancolloquia.org/u/justice_yahya
Keywords: Báb, Writings of; Covenant; Irfan Colloquia; Lawh-i-Vasaya; Mírzá Yaḥyá (Subh-i-Azal)

Will and Testament: Translation and Commentary - Báb, The (2004)
Examination of four available manuscripts, dates of issue, variations, exclusions, verse numbering followed by a running commentary on its tone, message and implications for the future of the Bábí movement.
This paper provides an analytical examination of a vital piece of Bábí literature most commonly referred to as the Will and Testament of the Bab. Whilst this document is an important Bábí work and has been available in several MS copies, it has not yet given the attention it deserves by generations of Bábí scholars. Indeed it may be a pre-requisite to study this tablet first prior to analysing the events of the Middle Bábí period.
Keywords: Báb, Writings of; Covenant; Criticism and apologetics; Lawh-i-Vasaya; Mírzá Yaḥyá (Subh-i-Azal)

Will Globalization Lead to a World Commonwealth? - Abizadeh,Sohrab (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 2005)
How emerging international crises, such as global epidemics, when combined with the fundamental principles of unity and social justice prescribed in the writings of the Bahá’í Faith, are impelling the world toward the formation of a world commonwealth.
Mirrored with permission from journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/article/view/127.
Keywords: Economics; Globalization; Unity; World Commonwealth

Will, Knowledge, and Love as Explained in Baha'u'llah's Four Valleys - Savi,Julio (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1994)
Exploration of some of the "seemingly abstruse" concepts of the Four Valleys.
Early draft of the article which later appeared, in edited form, in JBS. See also a formatted PDF copy of that version, mirrored with permission from the Journal of Bahá'í Studies past issues archive. A revised and expanded version is included in Savi's book Towards the Summit of Reality: An Introduction to the Study of Bahá'u'lláh's Seven Valleys and Four Valleys.
Keywords: Chahar Vadi (Four Valleys); Interfaith dialogue; Knowledge; Love; Mysticism; Sufism; Will

William S. Hatcher 1935-2005 - Winters,Jonah, compiler (William S. Hatcher Library, 2008)
Bio and CV from the author's website.
Most of Hatcher's works are online at this site. Mirrored with permission from william.hatcher.org.
Keywords: Biography; Philosophy; Science; William Hatcher

Wills and Inheritance - Universal House of Justice (1996)
Five questions about the writing of Bahá'í wills. Includes a list of which laws are not at present binding upon the friends in the western world, and a compilation of "Extracts from Four Tablets by Abdu'l-Bahá Concerning the Question of Inheritance."
Transmitted by email. Submitted by and posted with permission of recipient. Later posted to bahai.org, where it is also available in PDF and Word formats.
Keywords: Huqúqu'lláh; Inheritance; Laws; Will and testament (general)

Wilmette Institute Presentations on Youtube.com - Various (2011)
Link to Youtube channel with dozens of educational presentations and videos, listed here for keyword searching and tagging.
Keywords: All subjects; Bahá'í study centers; Indexes and catalogues; Visuals; Wilmette Institute

Windows to the Past - Shahrokh,Darius (1992)
Deepening talks on 25 topics about Bahá'í history and teachings, downloadable in MP3 audio format and PDF transcripts.
See more information about these presentations at bahai-library.com/wttp/.
Keywords: Ahmad of Kashan; Bahá'u'lláh; Bahá'í history; Báb, The; Bábí history; Covenant; Dreams and visions; Fadl-i-Qaini; Fadl-i-Shirazi; Holy days; Kalimat-i-Maknunih (Hidden Words); Khadijih Bagum (wife of the Báb); Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Most Holy Book); Kitáb-i-Íqán (Book of Certitude); Lawh-i-Ahmad (Tablet of Ahmad (Persian)); Martyrdom; Mulla Husayn; Mulla Rida (Shaykh Muhammad-Riday-i-Yazdi); Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl Gulpaygani; Obedience; Pronunciation; Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunuzi; Shoghi Effendi; Tahirih (Qurratu'l-'Ayn, Zarrín-Táj); Teachings; Varqa; Varqa, Ruhullah; Varqá, Mírzá `Alí-Muhammad; World order; Zoroaster (Zarathustra); `Abdu'l-Bahá

WIPO Domain Name Dispute: Case D2001-1302, "bahaiwomen.com" - Author unknown (2001)
A legal ruling finding, on behalf of the Bahá'ís, that unauthorized use of the domain bahaiwomen.com is a trademark infringement. Followed by a newspaper article from Newsbytes, "Bahá'í Organization Bests Speculator In Domain Dispute."
See Newsbytes article, below. See also Use of appropriate domain names by Bahá'ís on the Internet, and see another WIPO dispute re the domain uhj.net.
Keywords: Copyright and trademarks; Court cases; Internet; National Spiritual Assemblies; United States (documents)

WIPO Domain Name Dispute: Case D2005-0214, "uhj.net" - Author unknown (2005)
A legal ruling finding, against the Bahá'ís, that covenant breakers are allowed to use the domain uhj.net.
See another WIPO dispute re the domain bahaiwomen.com, and an earlier trademark lawsuit re use of Bahá'í names and titles. On Neal Chase's group, see Fifteen Years of Failed Prophecy: Coping with cognitive dissonance in a Baha’i sect.
Keywords: Copyright and trademarks; Court cases; Covenant-breaking; Internet; National Spiritual Assemblies; United States (documents)

Wisdom and Dissimulation: The Use and Meaning of Hikmat in the Bahá'í Writings and History - Maneck,Susan (Baha'i Studies Review, 1996)
Examination of hikmat within the Bahá'í community, especially as it refers to survival strategies in situations of danger or insecurity.
Keywords: Dissimulation; Hikmat; Wisdom; Words and phrases

Wisdom of Burying the Dead in the Earth: Tablet of Cremation - Abdul-Bahá (1902)
Tablet to Laura Clifford Barney regarding the wisdom of burying the dead in the Earth, also known as Tablet of Cremation, in two translations: one by Marzieh Gail, one by ‘Alí Kulí Khán.
Keywords: Burial (funeral); Cremation; Interfaith dialogue; Laura Clifford Barney; Marzieh Gail; Tablet of Cremation; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Writings and talks of; `Alí Kulí Khán

Wisdom of the people: Potential and pitfalls in efforts by the Comanches to recreate traditional ways of building consensus - Broome,Benjamin J. (The American Indian Quarterly, 2001)
Includes mention that a few Indian nations have adopted the Bahá'í "consultation" method of decision making.
Mirrored from highbeam.com (formerly elibrary.com).
Keywords: Canada; Consultation; Decision making; Native Americans; United States (documents)

With Abdu'l-Bahá: The Diary of Mirza 'Isa Khan Isfahani - Isfahani,Mirza `Isa Khan (Witnesses to Babi and Baha'i History, 2008)
Account of a visit to Haifa, December 1919 - January 1920, by a little-known author Mírzá 'Isá Khán Isfahání Darágáh'í. Includes table of an old Persian solar calendar and its Western astrological correspondences, and anecdotes about Esslemont.
See Persian text (offsite).
Keywords: Akka, Israel; Aqa Najafi (Son of the Wolf); Baghdad, Iraq; Bahá'í World Centre; Bahá'í World Centre; Calendars (general); Covenant-breaking; Haifa, Israel; Hájí Mírzá Haydar-`Alí (Angel of Carmel); Imam Husayn; Kalimat-i-Maknunih (Hidden Words); Lawh-i-Ibn-i-Dhib (Epistle to the Son of the Wolf); League of Nations; Manifestations of God, Recognition of; Mírzá Aqa Jan (Khadimu'lláh); Pilgrims notes; Quran; `Abdu'l-Bahá

Withdrawal from the Faith - Universal House of Justice (2001)
Keywords: Covenant; Laws; Membership; Spiritual Assemblies; Withdrawal

Withdrawal of Administrative Rights - Universal House of Justice (1986)
Spiritual Assemblies may remain in contact with those Bahá'ís who have had their Administrative Rights removed, but withdrawal of rights is a serious action and assemblies should in general should not initiate contact.
Keywords: Administrative rights

Witness to Shaykh Tabarsi: The Narrative of Haji Nasir Qazvini - Rabbani,Ahang, editor and translator (Witnesses to Babi and Baha'i History, 2007)
Biography of Qazvini, sources for the study of the conflict at Shaykh Tabarsi, and Qazvini's narrative. Includes the Persian text, and bios of Táríkh Samandar and M. A. Malik-Khusravi (in Persian).
While the PDF below says this is "Volume 10", Rabbani's last numbering for the Witnesses series places it at #8 [see archived site].
Keywords: Biography; Bábí history; Eyewitnesses; Iran (documents); Pilgrims notes; Shaykh Tabarsí siege

Witnesses to Babi and Bahá'í History - Rabbani,Ahang (1996)
Multiple volumes of historical materials, translations, and original research.
Most of the documents listed below are not yet online, and with the passing of the author (October 2013) it is uncertain which or any will appear. Some of the titles missing below were fully or partially completed, while others were merely planned. Volume numbers given in some of the PDFs are different than the list below (e.g. #8 below is listed as #10). The numbering scheme below reflects Rabbani's most recent Table of Contents; see archive.org.
Keywords: Ahang Rabbani; Bahá'í history; Bábí history; Eyewitnesses; Iran (documents); Iran, Bahá'í history; Persecution; Persecution, Deaths; Persecution, Iran; Pilgrims notes

Wittgensteinian Language-Games in an Indo-Persian Dialogue on the World Religions - Cole,Juan (Iran Nameh, 2015)
Reflections on Bahá'u'lláh's theology of previous religions and Ludwig Wittgenstein’s concept of "language games"; Hinduism, India, and 19th-century Iranian culture; Manakji’s questions about Hinduism and Zoroastrianism.
Keywords: Abrogation and confirmation of laws; Alcohol; Avatars; Bhagavad Gita; Bible; Book of Juk; Christianity; Conversion; Creation; Culture, Indo-Persian; Decline and renewal of religion; Dualism; Food; Genesis (Bible); Geology; God; Grammar; Hinduism; India; Intellect; Interfaith dialogue; Interpretation; Iran (documents); Islam; Judaism; Kitáb-i-Íqán (Book of Certitude); Krishna; Language; Lawh-i-Manikchi Sahib (Tablets to Manikchi Sahib); Laws; Ludwig Wittgenstein; Mahabad (prophet); Manifestations of God; Manikchi Limji Hataria; Meat; Monism; Mythology; Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl Gulpaygani; Neoplatonism; Opposition; Persecution; Philosophy; Progressive revelation; Qiblih; Quran; Reason; Reincarnation; Relativism; Return; Salvation; Science; Tabernacle of Unity (book); Teaching; Unity of religion; Upanishads; Vedas; Yoga Vasistha (Book of Juk); Zoroaster (Zarathustra); Zoroastrianism

Wives of Baha'u'llah - Universal House of Justice (1995)
Information on Bahá'u'lláh's three wives, and a background to the Bahá'í teaching that people should be monogamous in the modern age.
Submitted by and posted with permission of recipient.
Keywords: Bahá'u'lláh; Bahá'u'lláh, Family of; Bahá'u'lláh, Wives of; Criticism and apologetics; Monogamy; Polygamy

Woman and Islam - Grant,Elihu (Life and Light for Woman, 1912)
One-paragraph sympathetic mention.
This document is online in a variety of formats at archive.org.
Keywords: Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Women

Women - Bahá'u'lláh; Abdul-Bahá; Shoghi Effendi; Universal House of Justice (Compilation of Compilations, 1991)
Explores the status of women in the world, the development of women, the role of education in that development, the Bahá'í concept of gender equality and the application of that principle to family life. Includes bibliography of related Bahá'í literature.
Also available as a nicely-formatted PDF, prepared by Romane Takkenberg. Add or read quotations or links pertaining to this work here.
Keywords: Children; Education; Equality; Gender; Mothers; Social change; Women

Women and Religious Change: A case study in the colonial migrant experience - Dixson,Miriam (Australian Baha'i Studies, 2000)
The story of Margaret Dixson, and one woman's growth from Anglicanism, via numerology and astrology, to commitment to the world ideals of the Bahá'í Faith.
See also the rest of this issue.
Keywords: Anglicanism; Astrology; Australia; Biography; Christianity; Colonialism and imperialism; Conversion; Esperanto; Europe; Interfaith dialogue; Margaret Dixson; Migration; Numerology; Women

Women and Wisdom in Scripture - Ma'ani,Baharieh Rouhani (Lights of Irfan, 2015)
Treatment of women in religion; influence of Bahá'í teachings in raising awareness about the plight of women and transforming attitudes across the globe; role of linguistic biases in degrading their status; role of wisdom in achieving gender equality.
Presented at the Irfan Colloquia Session #125, Acuto, Italy (2014). Mirrored with permission from irfancolloquia.org/125/ma'ani_women.
Keywords: Buddhism; Christianity; Equality; Gender; Hinduism; Interfaith dialogue; Islam; Judaism; Universal House of Justice, Membership on; Wisdom; Women; Zoroastrianism

Women Entrepreneurs: Catalysts for Transformation - Starcher,Diane Chamberlin (European Bahá'í Business Forum, 1997)
Describes the dramatic rise in importance of women entrepreneurs and how feminine qualities contribute to their success.
Originally online as a free download from ebbf.org, preserved at ebbf.org/woman.htm [archive.org], and in French as PDF.
Keywords: Business; Gender; Women

Women in Art - Atkinson,Anne Gordon (Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1991)
Historically there have been many impediments to women achieving success in art: household duties, the rearing of children, poverty, and lack of education or encouragement. Bahá'í writings call for equal opportunity, and men have a responsibility too.
See also journal.bahaistudies.ca/online/issue/archive.
Keywords: Arts and crafts; Women

Women in Martyrdom: Parallels of Passio Perpetuae and Martyrdom in the Baha'i Faith - Dillon,Kathleen (2000)
Accounts of female martyrs in early Christianity and revolutionary Iran.

Women in the Bahá'í Faith - Maneck,Susan (Religion and Women, 1994)
Bahá'í paradigms of womanhood, and some highlights of women's participation in the Faith's history.
Keywords: Women

Women in the works of the Bab and in the Babi Movement - Momen,Moojan (Encyclopaedia Iranica, 2011)
Brief excerpt, with link to article offsite.
The following is an excerpt of the article at www.iranicaonline.org/articles/women-babi.
Keywords: Báb, Writings of; Women

Women on the House of Justice; meaning of "Umumi" - Universal House of Justice (1997)
Clarifies that 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in a tablet to Corinne True, indeed refers to the Universal House of Justice when affirming that membership is confined to men only. Includes a portion of Corinne True's original query to 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
Name retained with permission of recipient.
Keywords: Equality; Gender; Umumi (universal); Universal House of Justice; Universal House of Justice, Membership on; Women; Words and phrases

Women on the Universal House of Justice - Universal House of Justice (1988)
Response to a paper presented at a Bahá'í Studies conference which raised the possibility that women could one day be eligible for membership on the Universal House of Justice.
This letter is also available on bahai.org/library.
Keywords: Bahá'í Faith, Evolutionary nature of; Criticism and apologetics; Equality; Gender; Gradual implementation of laws; Interpretation; Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Most Holy Book); Laws; Speculation; Supreme Tribunal; Universal House of Justice; Universal House of Justice, Membership on; Women

Women Serving as Continental Counselors or in the International Teaching Centre, Percentage of: 1980-2010 - Universal House of Justice (2013)
Chart showing the percentage of women serving as members of the Continental Boards of Counsellors from 26 November 1980 — when the number of Boards was fixed at five — until November 2010.
See also Percentage of National Spiritual Assembly members who are women, 1953-2007. Submitted by recipient; original on file.
Keywords: Appointed arm; Counsellors; Gender; International Teaching Centre, Members of; Statistics; Women

Women's Education and Socio-Economic Development: The Pathways of Impact - Gandhi Kingdon,Geeta (2010)
Lecture hosted by the Ezri Center for Iran & Persian Gulf Studies at the University of Haifa, April 13 2010. Mirrored from gulfc.haifa.ac.il.
Keywords: Education; Gender; Social and economic development; Women

Women, The Status of: Warwick Leaflets - Warwick Bahá'í Bookshop (1995)
Overview of the status of women in education, marriage, and the future.
Keywords: Introductory; Women

Women: Equality and Peace - Khan,Peter J.
Audio posted online at http://bahaimp3.narod.ru/eng.htm

"Wonderful True Visions": Magic, Mysticism, and Millennialism in the Making of the American Bahá'í Community, 1892-1895 - Hollinger,Richard (Search for Values: Ethics in Bahá'í Thought, 2004)
The early growth of the American, and especially the Chicago, communities was more gradual and eclectic than previously thought, and Kheiralla's influence was less crucial.
Also available as RTF: hollinger_mysticism_american_1892-1895.rtf.
Keywords: Bahá'í history by country; Chicago, IL; Egypt; Ibrahim George Kheiralla; Magic; Millennialism; Mysticism; Occultism; United States (documents); Witchcraft

Wondrous Book (Kitáb-i-Badí'): Tablet study outline - Winters,Jonah (1999)
Outline prepared as part of Wilmette Institute notes and commentary on the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Add or read quotations or links pertaining to this work here.
Keywords: Kitáb-i-Badi (Wondrous Book); Outlines and summaries; Wilmette Institute notes on the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh

Word Portraits of Abdu'l-Baha - Jones,Chad, compiler (2012)
Short descriptions of Abdu'l-Bahá by Horace Holley, Louis Gregory, Howard Colby Ives, Wellesley Tudor Pole, E. G. Browne, Ali Yazdi, Florence Khan, Stanwood Cobb, and Albert Vail.
Mirrored from bahai-education.org.
Keywords: Eyewitnesses; Pen portraits; Pilgrims notes; Portraits; `Abdu'l-Bahá; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Pen portraits

Words of Inspiration: Warwick Leaflets - Warwick Bahá'í Bookshop (1992)
Keywords: Basics; Introductory

Words of Long Ago - Alfassa,Mirra (Sri Aurobindo Ashram, 1912)
Transcript of a talk The Mother delivered to some Bahá'ís in Paris in 1912 by request of Abdu'l-Bahá; reflections inspired by the departure of Abdu'l-Bahá from Paris in June 1913.
Mirra Alfassa, known to her followers as "The Mother," was the spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo. Her full name at birth was Blanche Rachel Mirra Alfassa. See Wikipedia.
Keywords: France; Hinduism; India; Interfaith dialogue; Paris, France; Sri Aurobindo; `Abdu'l-Bahá; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Travels of (documents)

Words of Wisdom (Asl-i-Kullu'l-Khayr): Wilmette Institute faculty notes - Stockman,Robert; Ayman,Iraj (1999)
See /writings/bahaullah/tb/9.html. Prepared as part of Wilmette Institute notes and commentary on the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh. Add or read quotations or links pertaining to this work here.
Keywords: Asl-i-Kullul-Khayr (Words of Wisdom); Bahá'u'lláh, Writings of; Wilmette Institute notes on the Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh

Work is Worship: Business is a Spiritual Game - Berteig,Mishkin (2022)
Fireside interview with the CEO and chief scientist at the Berteig Institute, an education company that helps improve business and beautify work environments, on the spiritual aspects of work, business, profit, and cooperative capitalism.
Transcript prepared by Doug Couper from video online at youtube.com/watch?v=dYxnFyZrucU.
Keywords: Alan Coupe

Working for Betterment of Society - Correa,Gustavo (2008)
From "Serving the Divine Plan Programme"; see mentions of this program in uhj_turning_point_1996-2006 pages iii, viii, and 223, and haifalife.blogspot.ca. Mirrored with permission from bahaimp3.narod.ru. Date not given, but Correa refers to "these, the last of this series of talks," which would put it around 2008.
Keywords: Gustavo Correa; Institute process; Social action

Workshop Material for The Baha'i Writings on Economics - Shams,Badi (2021)
Structured outlines, study questions, and compilation for use in workshop sessions on the nature of economic problems and their solutions in a divine economy, and how to work toward a Bahá'í world commonwealth.
See more at badishams.net. See this in Spanish translation.
Keywords: Economics

World Baha'i Institute in New York - Yadollahpour,Nima (2002)
An architectural proposal for a Bahá'í complex in Manhattan, designed structurally and mathematically based on the Seven Valleys.
Background work for 1997-98 thesis on architecture for Syracuse University. Mirrored from surface.syr.edu/architecture_tpreps/152/.
Keywords: Architecture; Haft Vádí (Seven Valleys); New York, USA; United States (documents)

World Bank's meeting with the world's religions - Various (1998)
Five articles on the dialogue for broadening "opportunities for common understanding and action in tackling the critical issue of global poverty" include discussion of Bahá'í involvement in the conference.
The following five press releases and newspaper articles are presented in chronological order.

World Citizenship: Warwick Leaflets - Warwick Bahá'í Bookshop (1996)
Keywords: Introductory; Unity

World Cultures and World Religions: The Coming Dialogue - Kraemer,Hendrik (Lutterworth Press, 1960)
1-page discussion of Bahá'í teachings as a universalist example of "esoteric wisdom from ... the Far East."

World Order of Bahá'u'lláh - Shoghi Effendi (Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1991)
Letters written by the Guardian, 1929-1936.
Add or read quotations or links pertaining to this work here.
Keywords: Bahá'u'lláh, Station of; Báb, Station of the; Covenant; Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh (letter); Peace; Shoghi Effendi, Writings of; World Order of Bahá'u'lláh (book); World order; World peace; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Station of

World Order of Baha'u'llah: Study Questions - Razavi,Shahriar (Studying the Writings of Shoghi Effendi, 1991)
List of questions to inspire study and deepening.
First posted at, and mirrored with permission from, usbnc.org.
Keywords: Study guides; World Order of Bahá'u'lláh (book); World order

World Order, Evolution Towards: Notes on recent secondary literature, compilation, and two memoranda from the Bahá'í World Centre - Universal House of Justice (Online Journal of Baha'i Studies, 1990)
Two letters, "Request for Materials about the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh" and "World Government and the Universal House of Justice," and compilation "Extracts from Letters Written by and on Behalf of the House of Justice on Evolution Towards World Order."
The letter below says the memorandum dated 10 September 1990 was prepared by the Research Department and entitled "World Government and the Universal House of Justice", and the compilation entitled "Extracts from Letters Written by and on Behalf of the Universal House of Justice on Evolution Towards World Order" was originally prepared in conjunction with the memorandum, and was revised in 1995. Originally posted at ojbs.org, archived at archive.org.
Keywords: Bahá'í Faith, Evolutionary nature of; Bibliography; Church and state; Covenant; Criticism and apologetics; Politics; Theocracy; Tree (metaphor); Universal House of Justice; World Order of Bahá'u'lláh (book); World order

World Order: Complete issues - Various (World Order, 1935)
See also list of online documents from World Order and Topical Index. The entire series is also online at bahai.works/World_Order
Keywords: Periodicals; World Order magazine

World Organization Secures World Peace - Bridgman,R. L. (The Atlantic Monthly, 1904)
While this paper does not mention the Bahá'í Faith, it is an interesting snapshot, and history of, early movements paralleling or even preceding Bahá'í teachings.
This document is also of note in that it was cited by V.E. Johnson in Historical Analysis of Critical Transformations in the Evolution of the Bahá'í World Faith, where Johnson observes that some world-peace movements predated Bahá'u'lláh. Also online at unz.org.
Keywords: Peace

World Peace and International Health - Link,A.
Audio posted online at http://bahaimp3.narod.ru/eng.htm

World Peace in a Piecemeal World: An exposition on excerpts from the writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá - Thomas,James B. (2008)
World peace is a challenge facing mankind that must be clearly identified; remedies are put forth for possible solutions in vanquishing the barriers to peace; both secular and religious underpinnings are proposed to support a universal solution for peace.
Presented at the Irfan Colloquia Session #81, Bosch Bahá'í School: Santa Cruz, CA (May 29 - June 1, 2008). Mirrored with permission from irfancolloquia.org/81/thomas_peace.
Keywords: Peace

World Peace: Warwick Leaflets - Warwick Bahá'í Bookshop (1990)
Keywords: Basics; Introductory; Peace

World Religion Day - Buck,Christopher (Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, 2010)
Keywords: Interfaith dialogue; World Religion Day

World Religion Day (January) - Buck,Christopher (Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations, 2011)
See also the full collection of Buck's articles in this volume.
Keywords: Interfaith dialogue; World Religion Day

Worship - Stockman,Robert (1995)
Written for possible inclusion in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia. Posted with permission of both the author and of the editor of the Encyclopedia project. Mirrored with permission from rsmd.net/research/worship.
Keywords: Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Meditation; Prayer; Worship

Wrathful God of Martin Luther and Baha'u'llah: Tablet of Ahmad-i-Farsi and Martin Luther (A comparison) - Law,Roberta (1998)
Comparison of the theologies of Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet of Ahmad (Persian) and early Protestantism.
Written for the Wilmette Institute
Keywords: Christianity; God; Interfaith dialogue; Lawh-i-Ahmad (Tablet of Ahmad (Persian)); Martin Luther; Protestantism

Writers and Writing - Bahá'u'lláh; Abdul-Bahá; Shoghi Effendi; Universal House of Justice (Compilation of Compilations, 1991)
Also available as a nicely-formatted PDF, prepared by Romane Takkenberg. See also essay introducing this compilation, by Robert Weinberg. Essay and compilation published in Bahá'í Studies Review 10. See also Guidance to Poets. Add or read quotations or links pertaining to this work here.
Keywords: Arts and crafts; Writing