The Kitáb-i-Aqdas

GLOSSARY

GLOSSARY

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

The “Servant of Bahá”, Abbás Effendi (1844–1921), the eldest son and appointed Successor of Bahá’u’lláh, and the Centre of His Covenant.

Abjad

The ancient Arabic system of allocating a numerical value to letters of the alphabet, so that numbers may be represented by letters and vice versa. Thus every word has both a literal meaning and a numerical value.

Báb, The

Literally the “Gate”, the title assumed by Mírzá ‘Alí-Muḥammad (1819–1850) after the Declaration of His Mission in Shíráz in May 1844. He was the Founder of the Bábí Faith and the Herald of Bahá’u’lláh.

Bahá

Bahá means Glory. It is the Greatest Name of God and a title by which Bahá’u’lláh is designated. Also, the name of the first month of the Bahá’í year and of the first day of each Bahá’í month.

Bahá’u’lláh

The “Glory of God”, title of Mírzá Ḥusayn-‘Alí (1817–1892), the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith.

Bayán

The Bayán (“Exposition”) is the title given by the Báb to His Book of Laws, and it is also applied to the entire body of His Writings. The Persian Bayán is the major doctrinal work and principal repository of the laws ordained by the Báb. The Arabic Bayán is parallel in content but smaller

253 and less weighty. References in the annotations to subjects found in both the Persian Bayán and the Arabic Bayán are identified by use of the term “Bayán” without further qualification.

Ḥuqúqu’lláh

The “Right of God”. Instituted in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, it is an offering made by the Bahá’ís through the Head of the Faith for the purposes specified in the Bahá’í Writings.

Mashriqu’l-Adhkár

Literally “the Dawning-place of the praise of God”, the designation of the Bahá’í House of Worship and its dependencies.

Mithqál

A unit of weight, equivalent to a little over 3 1/2 grammes, used in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas with reference to quantities of gold or silver for various purposes, usually in amounts of 9, 19 or 95 mithqáls. The equivalents of these in the metric system and in troy ounces (which are used in the measurement of precious metals), are as follows:

• 9 mithqáls = 32.775 grammes = 1.05374 troy ounces
• 19 mithqáls = 69.192 grammes = 2.22456 troy ounces
• 95 mithqáls = 345.958 grammes = 11.12282 troy ounces

This computation is based on the guidance of Shoghi Effendi, conveyed in a letter written on his behalf, which states “one mithqál consists of nineteen nákhuds. The weight of twenty-four nákhuds equals four and three-fifths grammes. Calculations may be made on this basis.” The mithqál traditionally used in the Middle East had consisted of 24 nákhuds but in the Bayán this was changed to 19 nákhuds and Bahá’u’lláh confirmed this as the size of the mithqál referred to in the Bahá’í laws (Q and A 23).

Nákhud

A unit of weight. See “mithqál”.

Qayyúmu’l-Asmá

The Báb’s commentary on the Súrih of Joseph in the

254 Qur’án. Revealed in 1844, this work is characterized by Bahá’u’lláh as “the first, the greatest, and mightiest of all books” in the Bábí Dispensation.

Shoghi Effendi

Shoghi Effendi (1897–1957), Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith from 1921–1957. He was the eldest grandson of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and was appointed by Him as the Head of the Faith.

Síyáh-Chál

Literally “the Black Pit”. The dark, foul-smelling, subterranean dungeon in Ṭihrán where Bahá’u’lláh was imprisoned for four months in 1852.