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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Difficulties of Investigation |
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There are, of course, difficulties in the way of the student
who seeks to get at the truth about this Cause. Like all great
moral and spiritual reformations, the Bahá’í Faith has been
grossly misrepresented. About the terrible persecutions and
sufferings of Bahá’u’lláh and His followers, both friends and
enemies are in entire agreement. About the value of the Movement,
however, and the character of its Founders, the statements
of the believers and the accounts of the deniers are utterly
at variance. It is just as in the time of Christ. Concerning
the crucifixion of Jesus and the persecution and martyrdom of
His followers both Christian and Jewish historians are in agreement,
but whereas the believers say that Christ fulfilled and
developed the teachings of Moses and the prophets, the deniers
declare that He broke the laws and ordinances and was worthy
of death.
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In religion, as in science, truth reveals her mysteries only to
the humble and reverent seeker, who is ready to lay aside every
prejudice and superstition—to sell all that he has, in order
that he may buy the “one pearl of great price.” To understand
the Bahá’í Faith in its full significance, we must undertake its
study in the spirit of sincere and selfless devotion to truth,
persevering in the path of search and relying on divine guidance.
In the Writings of its Founders we shall find the master
key to the mysteries of this great spiritual awakening, and the
ultimate criterion of its value. Unfortunately, here again there
are difficulties in the way of the student who is unacquainted
with the Persian and Arabic languages in which the teachings
are written. Only a small proportion of the Writings has been
translated into English, and many of the translations which
have appeared leave much to be desired, both in accuracy and
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style. But despite the imperfection and inadequacy of historical
narratives and translations, the greatest essential truths which
form the massive and firm foundations of this Cause stand out
like mountains from the mists of uncertainty.
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There are now the incomparable translations by Shoghi Effendi from the Persian and Arabic, of the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. These, together with his own considerable writings covering the history of the Faith, the statements and implications of its fundamental verities and the unfoldment of its Administrative Order, make the modern inquirer’s task infinitely easier than in Dr. Esslemont’s time.
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