Dunbar the materials gathered together in this study companion are intended to stimulate study of bahaullahs book of certitude, the kitabiiqan. On one level a person can read the book and benefit greatly without referring to any other books or materials. What is commonly referred an introduction to the bayan. The book of certitude bahaullah, shoghi effendi on. One of the bestknown and bestloved passages of this part is known as the tablet of the true seeker. This is the day in which the testimony of the lord hath been fulfilled, the day in which the word of god hath been made manifest, and his evidence firmly established. The iqan is the most important book written on the spiritual significance of the cause. In honour of that joyous holy day, lets take a look at the bayan, a priceless gift the bab bequeathed to mankind. No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth. This site is like a library, you could find million book here by using search box in the header. Bahaullah composed the kitab i aqdas the most holy book, which contained the laws and ordinances for future baha i communities.
The work was written in arabic under the arabic title alkitabu laqdas, but it is commonly referred to by. Holy kitab i iqan english translation provided by bahai world center. May 01, 2003 the book of certitude bahaullah, shoghi effendi on. We perceive none, however, amongst the people of the earth who, sincerely yearning for the truth, seeketh the guidance of the divine manifestations concerning the abstruse matters of his faith. Unlike the kitab i aqdas which is the most holy book of laws, this book was written because the babsthe gate uncle was perplexed to find that his nephew was a prophet of god. Absolutely, it is really one of the most profound religious texts in history and one of the most sacred books in the bahai faith and also considered by bahais as the completion of the persian bayan previously revealed by the bab. Ki goddess books of kings, in judaeochristian religious texts. How was the kitabi iqan received by the babi community in iraq.
The book remains a source of proof and certitude for modern readers, which gives the title contemporary meaning, too. Kitabiiqan, the book of certitude bahai library online. Dunbar, a member of the universal house of justice, gives insights into the importance of studying this divine book. Dec 20, 2007 the kitab i iqan is the creative word of god written by bahaullah from god. A journey through the book of certitude stands in a class by itself for comprehensiveness and ease of use.
Jun 22, 2010 otherwise reading, without understanding, is of no abiding profit unto man. The brother of abdul baha abbas effendi, mohammed ali effendi claimed and believed that bahai faith has turned into a polytheistic religion after the passing of his father bahaullah. I think it is hard for any of us to define a position for such an exalted book but we can take hints from the marvellous statements of shoghi effendi about it, which really are the things that awoke me to the significance of the book to the. Its later title, book of certitude, could be interpreted in many ways, the most obvious probably being that the book was designed to give certitude and assurance to the babs uncle for him to be able to recognize the manifestation of god and the truth of the bahai cause. The kitab i aqdas or aqdas is the central book of the bahai faith written by bahaullah, the founder of the religion, in 1873. The book of certitude is a work of exegesis, where nontransparent passages of the ible and the qur an. Nov 07, 2011 mr bijan motlagh, understanding the kitabiiqan, book of certitude. It deals largely with prophecy and scriptural meaning and contains the most wonderful and. I want you to be happy to laugh, smile and rejoice.
This book affirms the unity of the prophets, the universality of their message, the identity of their fundamental teachings, the sanctity of their scriptures, and. This is because it is the most spiritually penetrating and illuminating book that i have ever had the privilege to read. Examination of the bible in light of interpretations of its symbolism offered by bahaullahs kitab i iqan. Iqan the book of certitude, but was in the early days referred to as risaliyikhal epistle to the uncle. The book of certitude i s one of many books held sacred by followers of the bahai fai th. All books are in clear copy here, and all files are secure so dont worry about it. A journey through the book of certitude the kitabiiqan is one of the most important writings of bahaullah, the founder of the bahai faith.
Mr bijan motlagh, understanding the kitab i iqan, book of certitude. A treatise revealed by bahaullah in baghdad in 186162 in response to questions posed by one of the maternal. The kitabiiqan bahai reference library the bahai faith. The iqan became the standard work of the babis, not only of iraq, but of iran as well. The kitabiiqan the book of certitude wilmette institute. From these statements therefore it hath been made evident and manifest that should a soul in the end that knoweth no end be made manifest, and arise to proclaim and uphold a cause which in the beginning that hath no beginning another soul had proclaimed and upheld, it can be truly declared of him who is the last and of him who was the first that they are one and the same, inasmuch. Meaning and significance of certitude bahai library online. Coming from a catholic background, i am very comfortable with the biblical references it makes.
The kitabi iqan book of certitude is one of bahaullahs major works written in defence of the religious claims of sayyid ali muhammad shirazi, the bab. One bahai scholar states that it can be regarded as the most influential quran commentary in persian outside the muslim world, because of its international audience. The book of certitude paperback published august 18th 2014 by createspace independent publishing platform paperback, 162 pages. Nov 02, 2005 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. The page is dedicated to the study of a bahai book entitled, the kitabiiqan or book of certitude. The kitab i iqan, like all truly sacred texts, is a product of divine revelation. Dec 04, 2019 i understand that kitab i iqan book of certitude was not a direct converse fromby gd with bahaullah. Quinn and stephen lambden, in encyclopaedia iranica 2010. Study of the kitabiiqanbook of certitude posts facebook.
The second and larger part of the book is the substantive discourse and deals with specific proofs, both theological and logical, of the mission of the bab. The kitabiiqan is one of many books held sacred by followers of the bahai faith. Bahaullah did not claim in kitab i iqan that it was a direct converse fromby gd with bahaullah. Kitab i iqan the book of certitude rank high in importance in the baha i tradition. This site offers free and instant downloads of baha i sacred and authoritative texts as audio books as zipped files in mp3 format courtesy of the bahais of the united states. Coming from a christian background, this book not only made me appreciate islam and the jewish faith more but i became a better christian. The original title, epistle to the uncle, is simply a literal reference to its recipient. But the one book that stands as the most important book in my life has remained the kitab i iqan.
The kitabiiqan, the book of certitude, is one of the an important scriptural works in the bahai faith. The obstacle which prevents the socalled religious man from accepting the teachings of god is literal interpretation. Bahai, kitab i iqan, iqan, book of certitude, bahaullah, bahaullah, baha allah, bahaullah, bahai prayers, persian, farsi, religion, prayers, scripture, scriptures, biblical prophecy, proofs of the babi faith, proofs of the baha. Learn with god passes by, chapter 8 by shoghi effendi. It is part of titles of many arabic language books. In it, bahaullah gives a sweeping overview of religious truth, explaining the underlying unity of the worlds religions, describing the universality of the revelations humankind has revceived from the prophets of god, illuminating their fundamental teachings, and elucidating allegorical passages from. Shoghi effendi, guardian of the bahai faith from 1921 to 1957, produced what became the standard translation of the book of certitude. It is complex, covering a range of theological, philosophical and religious topics, with layeruponlayer of meaning waiting to be unfolded by the reader. Ideally, a translator should also be an authority on the text. The kitab i iqan, the book of certitude, is one of the an important scriptural works in the baha i faith.
All are dwellers in the land of oblivion, and all are followers of the people of wickedness and rebellion. The word is also related to the hebrew word for written. An introduction to bahaullahs book of certitude with two digital reprints of early lithographs, by christopher buck 1998. Published by user, 19 years ago the book of certitude gives an amazing insight into various religions matters that have baffled scholars for centuries. The kitabiiqan the book of certitude a treatise revealed by bahaullah in baghdad in 186162 in response to questions posed by one of the maternal uncles of the bab, translated by shoghi effendi and first published in english in 1931.
The book of certitude is one of many books held sacred by followers of the bahai faith. T h e k i t a b i i q a n the bo ok of certitude b y b a h a u l l a h tr a n s l a t e d b y s h o g h i e f f e n d i. The book of certitude kitabi iqan is the preeminent doctrinal work of the bahai. The kitabiiqan by the kitabiiqan bahai writings for. However, in light of shoghi effendis statement regarding the importance of this book, its study at deeper levels becomes imperative. One of two foremost books of the revelation of bahaullah, the kitab i iqan contains bahaullahs explanations of the basic tenets of the bahai faith and of the continuity of religion as it has been revealed throughout the ages. Deepen your understanding of the kitabiiqan the book of. Qi, or ki in japanese, a vital force according to chinese culture that forms part of any living thing.
May 21, 2014 every year bahais around the world celebrate the anniversary of the declaration of the bab, the forerunner of bahaullah, on the 8th of azamat according to the badi calendar. One of the foremost books of the revelation of bahaullah, the kitabiiqan contains bahaullahs explanations of the basic tenets of the bahai faith and of the continuity of religion as it has been revealed throughout the ages. We would like to hear a word from him, if he would accept the opportunity to be one of our facilitators in this bahai facebook onlinestudy bfos on the book the kitabi iqanbook of certitude which is one of the lofty avenues for serving the cause of hazrat bahaullah the cause that has strongly and cohesively bonded the friends from. I am currently reading the kitab i iqan the book of certitude, but i am struggling. Reviewing committee of the national spiritual assembly of the bahais of the u. The strange symbols that appear are places in the text where i had arabic or persian characters inserted, but i cannot use that font in this website. None knoweth the meaning thereof except god and them. Bahaullahs kitab i iqan, revealed in 1861, is one of the foremost among the works of his revelation, unequalled by any work in the entire range of bahai literature, except the kitab iaqdas. A journey through the book of certitude fazel naghdy on. Study guide to the book of certitude part one i am transferring these notes from a word document to this site, and will gradually improve the material. Translated by shoghi effendi, reprinted in many editions. An introduction to bahaullahs book of certitude with two digital reprints of early lithographs by christopher buck the book of certitude kitab i iqan is the preeminent doctrinal work of the bahai faith.
The kitabiiqan the book of certitude was written by bahaullah, prophetfounder of the bahai faith. The original copymanuscript of the book was written in the hand of abdulbaha, who was eighteen years of age at that time. You need to read the kitab i iqan, the book of certitude. The word is also used in the persian, hindi, nepali, azerbaijani, kazakh, punjabi, urdu, assamese, swahili, tatar, kyrgyz and turkish languages and in some contexts in greek. The kitab iaqdas or aqdas is the central book of the bahai faith written by bahaullah, the founder of the religion, in 1873. The page is dedicated to the study of a bahai book entitled, the kitab i iqan or book of certitude. Thus we look to shoghi effendis pronouncements, as the logical starting point for dating the text in question. Bahaullah revealed this book within the space of two days and two nights, in the last years of his stay in baghdad ah 1278ad 1862. Learn with a companion to the study of the kitabiiqan by hooper dunbar. It was revealed by aha ullah in aghdad, in january 1861. It refers to the quran and the bible in reference to the end, and jesus second coming. Browne visited iran in 188889, the iqan was the one work that a book owning babi was likely to possess. Sep 16, 2015 why is the kitab i iqan, also known as the book of certitude, called the most important book written on the spiritual significance of the baha i faith.
The study of the kitabiiqan can take place on several levels. A bahai coloring book for inspiration and reflection. The iqan is the most important book written on the spiritual significance of the cause and is. Study of the kitabiiqanbook of certitude home facebook. Outline study guide by bahai publishing committee new york. Book of certitude forgotten books bahaullah on amazon. Shoghi effendi has offered the following lengthy description of the books content. God, and ascended on the wings of certainty to the station which god hath exalted. Finally, as stated in books and traditions, there remained with him only forty or. Its later title, book of certitude, could be interpreted in many ways, the most obvious probably being that the book was designed to give certitude and. Kitabi iqan book of certitude, a major bahai work by bahaullah. Simply put, this book summarizes all the truths in the scriptures of old and is thus indispensable for teaching the faith.