Exploring the Kitb-i-Aqdas: The Laws and Teachings of the Bah Faith

(Hardback)

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The Kitb-i-Aqdas is considered the most important and sacred text of the Bah Faith, a religion with some eight million adherents, found in nearly every country of the world. It sets out the laws, teachings, and institutions that shape and influence individual and collective life for members of the Bah community. Despite the Kitb-i-Aqdass significance, it has not been extensively researched. Exploring the Kitb-i-Aqdas: The Laws and Teachings of the Bah Faith now offers a comprehensive academic study of the text. This important new publication explores and analyzes the significance and history of the Kitb-i-Aqdas; its language, style, and translation; and its theological and spiritual foundations, including its conceptions of God, religion, and human beings. The book, moreover, examines the Kitb-i-Aqdass provisions for succession, interpretation, and administration within the Bah religion; its devotional and other personal laws; its ordinances for promoting unity; its perspectives on justice and law; and its addresses to the worlds political and religious leaders. Academically rigorous yet eminently clear and accessible, Exploring the Kitb-i-Aqdas is an essential read for students of religion and Middle East studies.

Reviews

By exploring the history and contents of the Kitb-i-Aqdas, Omid Ghaemmaghami and Shahin Vafai have expanded our knowledge of the laws and teachings of the Bah Faith. Such a work, perfectly grounded in textual and intellectual history, is a major step in 19th century Near Eastern studies. With impressive skill it makes clear the complex formation of belief and law in a new-born religious community. -- Roberto Tottoli, Professor, Universit di Napoli LOrientale, Italy
The Kitb-i Aqdas, Most Holy Book, is the central authoritative scripture from Bahaullah (d.1892), founder of the Bahai faith. This excellent and much-needed exploration is the first in-depth scholarly study and analysis of this important text, for Bahais the most important Text. As such, it sets the tone and provides categories for further discussion, debate and analysis. It is a long-awaited and most welcome addition to scholarship on the Bahai Faith and will remain a primary reference work for some time to come. -- Todd Lawson, Associate Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto, Canada

Author Bio

Omid Ghaemmaghami is Associate Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies in the Department of Middle Eastern and Ancient Mediterranean Studies (MEAMS) at the State University of New York (SUNY), Binghamton, U.S. He is the author of Encounters with the Hidden Imam in Early and Pre-Modern Twelver Shii Islam (2020) and numerous articles and book chapters. Shahin Vafai is an attorney with nearly three decades of experience in law. He is the co-author of a legal treatise on appellate practice and works in Bah studies.