The first overall study of the rise of the Bahá'í Faith to consider sociological factors and themes, as well as more traditional historical concerns. The result is a refreshingly new approach providing many new insights. * A highly readable book, invigorating and not loaded down with academic jargon.

* The Bahá'í will find it stimulating and encouraging, with its prospect of where the Bahá'í Faith is going to. It is also an ideal introduction to the Faith for the serious general reader, for students in Islamic studies and comparative religion, and for historians and sociologists of religion.

The rise and development of the Bahá'í Faith from the messianic Bábí movement in nineteenth-century Iran to become an independent religion established in many countries and commanding the devotion of people from many different cultures provides a vivid example of religious change in the modern world. The process is more fully documented than is the case in any other religion and Peter Smith is able to trace in detail the emergence of the major beliefs and values in their social and historical contexts.

Beginning with the process set in motion by the Bábí movement in the heart of Shí'í Islam, the book examines the origin of the Bahá'í Faith and its dominant religious concerns in Qajar Iran, its initial establishment and subsequent growth in the United States, the development of its administration and its present global expansion. A conclusion outlines future prospects.

The Bahá’í Faith is a religion which, with its precursor, the Bábí movement, arose in the mid-nineteenth-century Iran and has since spread to all parts of the world, with adherents from most races and nations. This book examines the extensive writings and documents about the history of the Bahá’í Faith by Western authors not themselves Bahá’ís. The first part of the book is a 60-page survey of these Western accounts, in which the editor describes how news of the Bábí and Bahá’í Faiths reached the West, considers the contributions of various scholars and authors, and examines some of the misconceptions that abound in the early reports. The second part of the book consists of reports, mainly by European diplomatic and consular staff, missionaries, and travellers, concerning episodes in Bábí and Bahá’í history of which the writers were eyewitnesses or had been given firsthand accounts. Their reports shed a fascinating light on these episodes, and have particular relevance to recent and present events affecting the Bahá’í community in Iran.

Tracing the rise and development of the second most widespread religion in the world, this is a succinct but comprehensive study of the history of the Baha'i Faith. Dr. Smith, a well-known writer in the field, deftly explores the religion from its origins in mid-nineteenth century Iran to the spiritual and social concerns of the present day. His account features coverage of the Babi movement from which the Baha'i Faith grew, the life and teachings of the prophet-founder of the Baha'i Faith, Baha'u'llah, and His successors, the global expansion of the Faith and the organization of the Baha'i community today. Combining concise and skillful writing with illustrations of key people, places and events, this is a thorough historical survey of a religion that now has an estimated six million adherents. A brief but yet comprehensive historical survey of the Baha'i Faith.

'Concise, readable, and synthesizes the best of recent scholarship on the history of the faith.' (Juan Cole, University of Michigan)

This informative, full-color publication was created as a part of a submission to UNESCO recommending that the Baha'i Holy Places in Haifa and Western Galilee be considered for listing as a World Heritage site. It features photographs that do not appear in any other publication. This publication will not only be of great interest to the reader but, in that it contains stories of the Central Figures of the Baha'i Faith, it can also provide a historical introduction to the Baha'i Faith.

Vivid and comprehensive, the sequel to The Bahá'í Faith in America: Origins 1892-1900 -containing new authorized translations of 33 Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá!

A fascinating look at the second phase of the development of the North American Bahá'í community from its early efforts at consolidation at the beginning of the century, through its expansion into the West and South and the establishment of its first national project -building a House of Worship in Chicago -to its emergence as one of the key Bahá'í communities in the worldon the eve of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's visit to its shores.

His final book, Adib Taherzadeh's sequel to The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh provides a detailed and insightful study of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the 'Charter of Bahá'u'lláh's New World Order'. The Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá constitutes a fundamental document of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh. Described by Shoghi Effendi as 'the Child of the Covenant' the importance of its study becomes obvious when we note that Shoghi Effendi has stipulated that one of the qualifications of a true believer is 'loyal and steadfast adherence to every clause of our Beloved's sacred Will'. The organizational principle behind the guide is the relationship of various aspects of the Covenant and its verities to almost every subject mentioned by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in His Will and Testament. In some instances a study is made of a full paragraph, in many cases of a sentence, and sometimes of certain words, resulting in a masterful and illuminating examination of this important document. Of special note is the attention given to developments in the Bahá'í world community following the passing of Shoghi Effendi. Adib Taherzadeh was well known for his knowledge of the Bahá'í Faith and his eloquent narration of its history. He was the author of the series The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh and of Trustees of the Merciful, as well as The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh. He was elected to the Universal House of Justice in 1988 and was a member until his untimely passing in January 2000.

The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh is a unique and priceless heritage, unprecedented in past Dispensations. It carries within itself enormous potentialities for the future in the unfoldment of Bahá'u'lláh's new world order and ultimately the Golden Age of humankind.

This book provides a wealth of material for the study of the Covenant. The Kitáb-i-'Ahdí, Bahá'u'lláh's own Will and Testament, and the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá are quoted in full in this volume, and the historical events they refer to are explained.

Why is the largest religious minority in Iran denied legal status and human rights? Why are its Holy Places and humanitarian institutions destroyed or seized? Why are the homes, farms and possessions of its members looted, burned, stolen?

Why are its children refused education and hounded by school authorities? Why are the Bahá'ís in Iran imprisoned, tortured, executed, murdered in terrible ways without fair trial?

Why do Bahá'ís choose to die rather than deny their Faith?

Are these innocent victims important to a world struggling to survive?

A Cry from the Heart gives powerful evidence and frank replies.

William Sears, in his book A Cry from the Heart, has given the Bahá'ís a powerful instrument for the proclamation of the Faith throughout the world. Acquainted at firsthand with the Bahá'í community in Iran which, since 1978, has suffered the loss, twice over, of its National Spiritual Assembly and the persecution, imprisonment, torture and death of many of its foremost believers, a large number of whom were his personal friends, Mr. Sears has been moved to write a scathing denunciation of those responsible for this campaign of genocide. In his inimitable way, he states the facts of their campaign, conveys his own passionate indignation, and stirs in the reader's heart the same love, sorrow and pride which have moved him to pour out his cry on behalf of the heroic Persian Bahá'ís, who are sustaining with such steadfastness the full brunt of this 'savage onslaught'.

Translated from the Persian by Shoghi Effendi

Lavishly illustrated, with many unique features, including facsimiles of the Báb's Tablets to the Letters of the Living, photographs of people and places from the early history of the Faith, genealogical charts, footnotes, glossary, index and a guide to Persian and Arabic pronunciation. Long out of print, this edition has become a collector's item. This is a limited printing, so don't hesitate to take advantage of this special opportunity.

Door of Hope is an indispensable guide to the history and sites of pilgrimage of the Bahá'í Faith in the Holy Land. The author lived at the Bahá'í World Centre for twenty-five years, and used the opportunity to make the subject of this book his special study. He has methodically examined the geography, archaeology and history of all that relates to the Bahá'í Faith, as well as the results of Jewish, Christian and Bahá'í scholarship.

The text is enriched by a unique collection of historical photographs and drawings which will prove both fascinating and of great value for Bahá'í pilgrims and visitors, as well as those who have not had the opportunity to visit the Holy Land.

From Vision to Victory charts the growth and development of the Bahá'í Faith from 1963 through the next thirty years. This was a period which saw not only the establishment of the supreme administrative body of the Bahá'í Faith, the Universal House of Justice, but the religion's emergence from the obscurity which had characterized its first century. From Vision to Victory is not so much a history as it is a story -a true story concerned with outward progress and events but also with the spiritual transformation of a people. It recounts the struggles of a world community of believers who endeavoured not only to achieve the goals set for it and to overcome the crises encountered along the way, but also to transform their own lives through the process. The protagonists of the story are the Bahá'í of the world who have served the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh during the first thirty years of the leadership of the Universal House of Justice. Many of them are represented here, those who entered the Bahá'í Faith from all over the world, from nearly every tribe and culture, of every colour and language, from all nations east and west, north and south.

Eunice Braun has been involved with books for most of her life, as writer, editor, book designer and publisher. For twenty years she was Managing Director of the Bahá'í Publishing Trust of the United States. Her handbook Know Your Bahá'í Literature published in 1968 rapidly became indispensable as a guide to Bahá'í books available at the time, while A Reader's Guide: The Development of Bahá'í Literature in English published in 1986 further expanded her theme. Her book From Strength to Strength: The First Half Century of the Formative Age of the Bahá'í Era published in 1978 began the story of which the present volume is a continuation.

This book tells the story of four Bahá'ís who chose to be exiled and imprisoned with Bahá'u'lláh. But they found themselves instead condemned to separation from Him, and exile on the island of Cyprus in 1868 in the company of His enemies. Muhammad-Báqir-i-Qahvih-chí, Mishkín-Qalam, Mírzá 'Alíy-i-Sayyáh and 'Abdu'l-Ghaffár - their names are well-known to Bahá'ís but the historical facts of their story are brought together for the first time in this book.

Nor is this all: the story told, the author goes beyond the bare factual outline, inviting the reader to 'explore their lives as metaphor instead... they seemed to be not only four prisoners exiled in Cyprus but symbolically the powers of the soul imprisoned within the self.'

This poetic treatment springs from the thoughts and experiences of five years spent by the author herself in Cyprus, and is one of the most original and satisfying features of this fascinating book.

These are the communications of the body of the Hands of the Cause of God residing in the Holy Land during the years 1957 to 1963. An introduction by Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum places in perspective the events of the critical years between the passing of Shoghi Effendi in 1957 and the election of the Universal House of Justice in 1963.

A sympathetic account of a world religion whose adherents today number over 500 million. This book contains a full biography of the Prophet and a history of Islám from the years of His mission to the nineteenth century.

An abridged edition of The Dawn-Breakers, Nabil's remarkable eyewitness account of the early years of the Baha'i Era. Condensed to 191 highly readable pages, a thrilling account for children, youth, and adults. Recounts events in the lives of the Bab and His followers. It also illustrates the character of the Baha'i revelation by quoting passages from Baha'u'llah's Writings. Has both photographs and is illustrated.

The Historical Development of the Baha'i Faith in China, Southeast Asia and Far East.

"This document by Jimmy Seow is an essential first step for anyone wishing to trace the history of Baha'i teaching of the Chinese in the Far East. It exhaustively catalogues the growth of the Faith in the scattered outposts where courageous early believers carried the Worlds of Baha'u'llah." An important book for those wishing to teach the Baha'i faith to Chinese, the author provides a glimpse into the cultural, political and religious setting of the area.

In 1953 Korea already had some resident Bahá'ís but the Faith was a long way from being firmly eatablised. The first resident Bahá'ís in that difficult post-war period were young men in the United States Armed Forces. Due to the dedication and determination of those young men, who were praised by the Guardian, the Faith became established with Koreans declaring their belief in Bahá'u'lláh. Much of the material in this book came directly from the collection of the carefully preserved documents of Hand of the Cause, Miss Agnes Alexander, who visited Korea several times in the 1920s and 1950s.

An essential work for serious students of the Bahá'í Faith, including ... * identification of well-known Bahá'ís Browne met in Iran and referred to under other names in 'A Year Amongst the Persians' ... * Browne's 80-page Abstract of the Persian Bayán, never before published ... * the full text of 'The Bábís of Persia', the first comprehensive account of the Bahá'í Faith in English.

Edward Granville Browne is widely regarded as the greatest European scholar in the field of modern Iranian studies. His extraordinary sympathy and understanding in describing Iranian culture ensures that his books are still read almost a century later. His research into the Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths, although not free from errors of fact and judgement, remains to this day one of the most important contributions in the field.

The first three sections of this book result from Browne's travels in Iran in 1887-8, where he met some of the most prominent Bahá'ís. In his famous work 'A Year Amongst the Persians', he took care to protect their identity. However, he also kept a diary, written partly in a private code, in which almost all of them are identified, including such men as Mírzá Haydar-'Alí. Thanks to Dr Momen's careful work on the original diary, and on other sources, the most important extracts from this book can be presented here with the individuals identified and the background to many of the events in the book explained. Browne's paper 'The Bábís of Persia', long out of print, makes up the second section. This was the first comprehensive account in English of Bábí and Bahá'í history and teachings, and is of major historical importance in its own right. The third section is a previously unpublished abstract of the Persian Bayán, the major work of the Báb written in about 1848. Browne had succeeded in obtaining a manuscript copy of this work in Iran and on his return immediately set about preparing this lengthy abstract for publication. It was, however, never published, and appears now for the first time, with annotations by the editor, providing a detailed guide to the contents of the Persian Bayán.

There are also several valuable short sections from different publications no longer in print. They represent various aspects of Browne's wide-ranging studies on the Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths. Finally, a list of Browne's papers and manuscripts on the subject, compiled by the editor, is published here for the first time.

In July 1955 occurred an event all too common in modern Iranian history - a group of innocent people were violently murdered for the simple reason that they were members of the Bahá'í Faith. The incident described in this little book was only one element in a wave of persecution of the Bahá'í in Iran during that year. But it has been particularly well documented, since the author was able to interview a survivor very shortly after the killings, and to take photographs showing the destruction. In addition there are newspaper reports of the subsequent trial.

The events described in this book are not unlike some of those depicted by Nabíl in his classic account of the early years of the Bábí-Bahá'í Faith. In the current circumstances of the Bahá'í community in Iran this book is valuable as a reminder of what the Bahá'í Faith has suffered in the land of its birth under many different regimes.

In 1891 in Yazd seven Bahá'ís met a martyr's death. In this essay Roger White has written a scholarly and moving account of the martyrdom of the youthful 'Alí-Asghar, one of the seven. Drawing on previously unpublished documents, the author evokes 'Alí-Asghar's spirit of self-sacrifice and the poignancy of his extreme youth as well as the dramatic events that followed his martyrdom.

O 'Times' . . . Spend an hour with the oppressed of Iran and witness how the exemplars of justice and equity are sorely tried beneath the sword of tyrants. Infants have been deprived of milk, and women and children have fallen captive to the lawless. The blood of God's lovers hath dyed the earth red . . .

Bahá'u'lláh's appeal to the London newspaper rings across the decades as again in our own time His followers in Iran suffer for their belief. Written following the martyrdom of the seven Bahá'ís in Yazd, some extracts from this famous Tablet have now been translated and are published for the first time in 'The Shell and the Pearl'. Also included are extracts from the Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá about the martyrdom to Sakínih Sultán, the widow of 'Alí-Asghar, and an account by Mr Labíb Shahíd, the grandson of 'Alí-Asghar, both published for the first time.

Roger White, a native of Toronto, Canada, won an enthusiastic international readership and critical acclaim in several quarters through publication of his first collection of poems, 'Another Song, Another Season'. A second collection, 'The Witness of Pebbles', appeared in 1981, and his novel about the early days of the Bahá'í community in Paris before the First World War, 'A Sudden Music', in 1983.

This book is another attempt to record Bahá'í history in the early days of the Faith in the Orient to preserve it for future generations of Bahá'ís.

This fabulous collection of more than 130 colour photographs explores how the spiritual attributes of beauty, proportion and balance have taken form in the buildings, gardens and environs of the holy places and significant sites at the Bahá'í World Centre. The book is divided into five sections: sites associated with the Báb; sites associated with Bahá'u'lláh; sites associated with 'Abdu'l-Bahá (including pictures of some of the places He visited on His historic Western tour); sites associated with Shoghi Effendi (in the Holy Land and in London); and the Arc, the administrative centre of the Bahá'í Faith. Each of these sections contains a succinct historical narrative, complementing the illustrations.

This is an account of the first visit by a Western Bahá'í to the Bahá'í communities of the Indian subcontinent. The trail Sydney Sprague blazed was to be followed by many of the best known names of Western Bahá'í history.