A new version of the Bahá’í Reference Library is now available. This ‘old version’ of the Bahá’í Reference Library will be replaced at a later date.
The new version of the Bahá’i Reference Library can be accessed here »
A new version of the Bahá’í Reference Library is now available. This ‘old version’ of the Bahá’í Reference Library will be replaced at a later date.
The new version of the Bahá’i Reference Library can be accessed here »
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INTRODUCTION 1 |
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This year, the 149th of the Bahá’í era, marks the Centenary
of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, Bearer of the universal
Revelation of God destined to lead humanity to its collective
coming of age. That this occasion should be
observed by a community of believers representing a cross-section
of the entire human race and established, in the
course of a century and a half, in the most remote corners of
the globe, is a token of the forces of unity released by
Bahá’u’lláh’s advent. A further testimony to the operation of
these same forces can be seen in the extent to which
Bahá’u’lláh’s vision has prefigured contemporary human
experience in so many of its aspects. It is a propitious
moment for the publication of this first authorized
translation into English of the Mother Book of His
Revelation, His “Most Holy Book”, the Book in which He
sets forth the Laws of God for a Dispensation destined to
endure for no less than a thousand years.
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Of the more than one hundred volumes comprising the
sacred Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas is of
unique importance. “To build anew the whole world” is the
claim and challenge of His Message, and the Kitáb-i-Aqdas
is the Charter of the future world civilization that
Bahá’u’lláh has come to raise up. Its provisions rest squarely
on the foundation established by past religions, for, in the
words of Bahá’u’lláh, “This is the changeless Faith of God,
eternal in the past, eternal in the future.” In this Revelation the
concepts of the past are brought to a new level of
understanding, and the social laws, changed to suit the age
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now dawning, are designed to carry humanity forward into
a world civilization the splendours of which can as yet be
scarcely imagined.
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In its affirmation of the validity of the great religions
of the past, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas reiterates those eternal truths
enunciated by all the Divine Messengers: the unity of God,
love of one’s neighbour, and the moral purpose of earthly
life. At the same time it removes those elements of past
religious codes that now constitute obstacles to the emerging
unification of the world and the reconstruction of
human society.
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The Law of God for this Dispensation addresses the
needs of the entire human family. There are laws in the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas which are directed primarily to the members
of a specific section of humanity and can be immediately
understood by them but which, at first reading, may be
obscure to people of a different culture. Such, for example,
is the law prohibiting the confession of sins to a fellow
human being which, though understandable by those of
Christian background, may puzzle others. Many laws relate
to those of past Dispensations, especially the two most
recent ones, those of Muḥammad and the Báb embodied in
the Qur’án and the Bayán. Nevertheless, although certain
ordinances of the Aqdas have such a focused reference, they
also have universal implications. Through His Law,
Bahá’u’lláh gradually unveils the significance of the new
levels of knowledge and behaviour to which the peoples of
the world are being called. He embeds His precepts in a
setting of spiritual commentary, keeping ever before the
mind of the reader the principle that these laws, no matter
the subject with which they deal, serve the manifold
purposes of bringing tranquillity to human society, raising
the standard of human behaviour, increasing the range of
human understanding, and spiritualizing the life of each
and all. Throughout, it is the relationship of the individual
soul to God and the fulfilment of its spiritual destiny that is
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the ultimate aim of the laws of religion. “Think not”, is
Bahá’u’lláh’s own assertion, “that We have revealed unto you a
mere code of laws. Nay, rather, We have unsealed the choice Wine
with the fingers of might and power.” His Book of Laws is His
“weightiest testimony unto all people, and the proof of the All-Merciful
unto all who are in heaven and all who are on earth”.
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An introduction to the spiritual universe unveiled in
the Kitáb-i-Aqdas would fail in its purpose if it did not
acquaint the reader with the interpretive and legislative
institutions that Bahá’u’lláh has indissolubly linked with
the system of law thus revealed. At the foundation of this
guidance lies the unique role which Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings—indeed the text of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas itself—confer on
His eldest son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. This unique figure is at once
the Exemplar of the pattern of life taught by His Father, the
divinely inspired authoritative Interpreter of His Teachings
and the Centre and Pivot of the Covenant which the Author
of the Bahá’í Revelation made with all who recognize Him.
The twenty-nine years of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s ministry endowed
the Bahá’í world with a luminous body of commentary that
opens multiple vistas of understanding on His Father’s
purpose.
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In His Will and Testament ‘Abdu’l-Bahá conferred the
mantle of Guardian of the Cause and infallible Interpreter of
its teachings upon His eldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi, and
confirmed the authority and guarantee of divine guidance
decreed by Bahá’u’lláh for the Universal House of Justice
on all matters “which have not outwardly been revealed in
the Book”. The Guardianship and the Universal House of
Justice can thus be seen to be, in the words of Shoghi
Effendi, the “Twin Successors” of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
They are the supreme institutions of the Administrative
Order which was founded and anticipated in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas
and elaborated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His Will.
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During the thirty-six years of his ministry, Shoghi
Effendi raised up the structure of elected Spiritual Assemblies—4
the Houses of Justice referred to in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas,
now in their embryonic stage—and with their collaboration
initiated the systematic implementation of the Divine Plan
that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had laid out for the diffusion of the Faith
throughout the world. He also set in motion, on the basis of
the strong administrative structure that had been established,
the processes which were an essential preparation for
the election of the Universal House of Justice. This body,
which came into existence in April 1963, is elected through
secret ballot and plurality vote in a three-stage election by
adult Bahá’ís throughout the world. The revealed Word of
Bahá’u’lláh, together with the interpretations and expositions
of the Centre of the Covenant and the Guardian of the
Cause, constitute the binding terms of reference of the
Universal House of Justice and are its bedrock foundation.
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As to the laws themselves, a careful scrutiny discloses
that they govern three areas: the individual’s relationship to
God, physical and spiritual matters which benefit the
individual directly, and relations among individuals and
between the individual and society. They can be grouped
under the following headings: prayer and fasting; laws of
personal status governing marriage, divorce and inheritance;
a range of other laws, ordinances and prohibitions, as
well as exhortations; and the abrogation of specific laws and
ordinances of previous Dispensations. A salient characteristic
is their brevity. They constitute the kernel of a vast
range of law that will arise in centuries to come. This
elaboration of the law will be enacted by the Universal
House of Justice under the authority conferred upon it by
Bahá’u’lláh Himself. In one of His Tablets ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
elucidates this principle:
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Those matters of major importance which constitute the
foundation of the Law of God are explicitly recorded in the
Text, but subsidiary laws are left to the House of Justice. The
wisdom of this is that the times never remain the same, for
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change is a necessary quality and an essential attribute of this
world, and of time and place. Therefore the House of Justice
will take action accordingly…
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Briefly, this is the wisdom of referring the laws of
society to the House of Justice. In the religion of Islám,
similarly, not every ordinance was explicitly revealed; nay
not a tenth part of a tenth part was included in the Text;
although all matters of major importance were specifically
referred to, there were undoubtedly thousands of laws which
were unspecified. These were devised by the divines of a later
age according to the laws of Islamic jurisprudence, and
individual divines made conflicting deductions from the
original revealed ordinances. All these were enforced. Today
this process of deduction is the right of the body of the House of
Justice, and the deductions and conclusions of individual
learned men have no authority, unless they are endorsed by the
House of Justice. The difference is precisely this, that from the
conclusions and endorsements of the body of the House of
Justice whose members are elected by and known to the
worldwide Bahá’í community, no differences will arise;
whereas the conclusions of individual divines and scholars
would definitely lead to differences, and result in schism,
division, and dispersion. The oneness of the Word would be
destroyed, the unity of the Faith would disappear, and the
edifice of the Faith of God would be shaken.
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The society for which certain of the laws of the Aqdas
are designed will come only gradually into being, and
Bahá’u’lláh has provided for the progressive application of
Bahá’í law:
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Indeed, the laws of God are like unto the ocean and the
children of men as fish, did they but know it. However, in
observing them one must exercise tact and wisdom… Since
most people are feeble and far-removed from the purpose of
God, therefore one must observe tact and prudence under all
conditions, so that nothing might happen that could cause
disturbance and dissension or raise clamour among the
heedless. Verily, His bounty hath surpassed the whole
universe and His bestowals encompassed all that dwell on
earth. One must guide mankind to the ocean of true
understanding in a spirit of love and tolerance. The Kitáb-i-Aqdas
itself beareth eloquent testimony to the loving
providence of God.
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The laws revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in the Aqdas
are, whenever practicable and not in direct conflict
with the Civil Law of the land, absolutely binding on
every believer or Bahá’í institution whether in the East
or in the West. Certain … laws should be regarded
by all believers as universally and vitally applicable at
the present time. Others have been formulated in
anticipation of a state of society destined to emerge
from the chaotic conditions that prevail today…
What has not been formulated in the Aqdas, in
addition to matters of detail and of secondary
importance arising out of the application of the laws
already formulated by Bahá’u’lláh, will have to be
enacted by the Universal House of Justice. This body
can supplement but never invalidate or modify in the
least degree what has already been formulated by
Bahá’u’lláh. Nor has the Guardian any right whatsoever
to lessen the binding effect much less to
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abrogate the provisions of so fundamental and sacred a
Book.
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The number of laws binding on Bahá’ís is not increased
by the publication of this translation. When it is deemed
timely, the Bahá’í community will be advised which
additional laws are binding upon believers, and any
guidance or supplementary legislation necessary for their
application will be provided.
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In general, the laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas are stated
succinctly. An example of this conciseness can be seen in the
fact that many are expressed only as they apply to a man,
but it is apparent from the Guardian’s writings that, where
Bahá’u’lláh has given a law as between a man and a woman,
it applies mutatis mutandis between a woman and a man
unless the context makes this impossible. For example, the
text of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas forbids a man to marry his father’s
wife (i.e. his stepmother), and the Guardian has indicated
that likewise a woman is forbidden to marry her stepfather.
This understanding of the implications of the Law has far-reaching
effects in light of the fundamental Bahá’í principle
of the equality of the sexes, and should be borne in mind
when the sacred Text is studied. That men and women
differ from one another in certain characteristics and
functions is an inescapable fact of nature and makes possible
their complementary roles in certain areas of the life of
society; but it is significant that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has stated
that in this Dispensation “Equality of men and women, except
in some negligible instances, has been fully and categorically
announced.”
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Mention has already been made of the intimate
relationship between the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and the Holy Books
of previous Dispensations. Especially close is the relationship
to the Bayán, the Book of Laws revealed by the Báb. It
is elucidated in the following excerpts from letters written
on behalf of the Guardian:
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Shoghi Effendi feels that the unity of the Bahá’í
Revelation as one complete whole embracing the Faith
of the Báb should be emphasized… The Faith of the
Báb should not be divorced from that of Bahá’u’lláh.
Though the teachings of the Bayán have been
abrogated and superseded by the laws of the Aqdas, yet
due to the fact that the Báb considered Himself as the
Forerunner of Bahá’u’lláh, we would regard His
Dispensation together with that of Bahá’u’lláh as
forming one entity, the former being introductory to
the advent of the latter.
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Just as the Bayán had been revealed by the Báb at
about the mid-point of His Ministry, Bahá’u’lláh revealed
the Kitáb-i-Aqdas around 1873, some twenty years after He
had received, in the Síyáh-Chál of Ṭihrán, the intimation of
His Revelation. In one of His Tablets He indicates that even
after its revelation the Aqdas was withheld by Him for some
time before it was sent to the friends in Iran. Thereafter, as
Shoghi Effendi has related:
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The formulation by Bahá’u’lláh, in His Kitáb-i-Aqdas,
of the fundamental laws of His Dispensation was
followed, as His Mission drew to a close, by the
enunciation of certain precepts and principles which lie
at the very core of His Faith, by the reaffirmation of
truths He had previously proclaimed, by the elaboration
and elucidation of some of the laws He had already
laid down, by the revelation of further prophecies and
warnings, and by the establishment of subsidiary
ordinances designed to supplement the provisions
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of His Most Holy Book. These were recorded in unnumbered
Tablets, which He continued to reveal until
the last days of His earthly life…
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Among such works is the Questions and Answers, a
compilation made by Zaynu’l-Muqarrabín, the most eminent
of the transcribers of Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings. Consisting
of answers revealed by Bahá’u’lláh to questions put to
Him by various believers, it constitutes an invaluable
appendix to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. In 1978 the most noteworthy
of the other Tablets of this nature were published in
English as a compilation entitled Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh
revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
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A word should be said about the style of language in
which the Kitáb-i-Aqdas has been rendered into English.
Bahá’u’lláh enjoyed a superb mastery of Arabic, and
preferred to use it in those Tablets and other Writings
where its precision of meaning was particularly appropriate
to the exposition of basic principle. Beyond the choice of
language itself, however, the style employed is of an exalted
and emotive character, immensely compelling, particularly
to those familiar with the great literary tradition out of
which it arose. In taking up his task of translation, Shoghi
Effendi faced the challenge of finding an English style which
would not only faithfully convey the exactness of the text’s
meaning, but would also evoke in the reader the spirit of
meditative reverence which is a distinguishing feature of
response to the original. The form of expression he selected,
reminiscent of the style used by the seventeenth-century
translators of the Bible, captures the elevated mode of
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Bahá’u’lláh’s Arabic, while remaining accessible to the
contemporary reader. His translations, moreover, are
illumined by his uniquely inspired understanding of the
purport and implications of the originals.
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Although both Arabic and English are languages with
rich vocabularies and varied modes of expression, their
forms differ widely from one another. The Arabic of the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas is marked by intense concentration and
terseness of expression. It is a characteristic of this style that
if a connotation is obvious it should not be explicitly stated.
This presents a problem for a reader whose cultural,
religious and literary background is entirely different from
that of Arabic. A literal translation of a passage which is
clear in the Arabic could be obscure in English. It therefore
becomes necessary to include in the English translation of
such passages that element of the Arabic sentence which is
obviously implicit in the original. At the same time, it is
vital to avoid extrapolating this process to the point where it
would add unjustifiably to the original or limit its meaning.
Striking the right balance between beauty and clarity of
expression on the one hand, and literalness on the other, is
one of the major issues with which the translators have had
to grapple and which has caused repeated reconsideration of
the rendering of certain passages. Another major issue is the
legal implication of certain Arabic terms which have a range
of meanings different from those of similar terms in
English.
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Sacred Scripture clearly requires especial care and
faithfulness in translation. This is supremely important in
the case of a Book of Laws, where it is vital that the reader
not be misled or drawn into fruitless disputation. As had
been foreseen, the translation of the Most Holy Book has
been a work of the utmost difficulty, requiring consultation
with experts in many lands. Since some one third of the
text had already been translated by Shoghi Effendi, it
was necessary to strive for three qualities in the translation
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of the remaining passages: accuracy of meaning, beauty of
English, and conformity of style with that used by Shoghi
Effendi.
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We are now satisfied that the translation has reached a
point where it represents an acceptable rendering of the
original. Nevertheless, it will undoubtedly give rise to
questions and suggestions which may shed further light on
its content. We are profoundly grateful for the assiduous
and meticulous labours of the members of the Committees
whom we commissioned to prepare and review this
translation of the Aqdas and to compose the annotations.
We are confident that this first authorized English edition of
the Kitáb-i-Aqdas will enable its readers to obtain at least
an inkling of the splendour of the Mother Book of the Bahá’í
Dispensation.
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Our world has entered the dark heart of an age of
fundamental change beyond anything in all of its tumultuous
history. Its peoples, of whatever race, nation, or
religion, are being challenged to subordinate all lesser
loyalties and limiting identities to their oneness as citizens
of a single planetary homeland. In Bahá’u’lláh’s words: “The
well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable
unless and until its unity is firmly established.” May the
publication of this translation of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas lend a
fresh impulse to the realization of this universal vision,
opening vistas of a worldwide regeneration.
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