''Selections from the Writings of the Báb'' is an

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

in English that features translated works of the

Báb The Báb (born ʻAlí-Muḥammad; ; ; 20 October 1819 – 9 July 1850) was an Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbai ...

, the founder of

Bábism Bábism () is a Messianism, messianic movement founded in 1844 by Báb, the Báb ( 'Ali Muhammad). The Báb, an Iranian merchant-turned-prophet, professed that there is one incorporeal, unknown, and incomprehensible GodEdward Granville Browne ...

and the forerunner-Prophet of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

. It was compiled and published in 1976 by the

Universal House of Justice The Universal House of Justice is the nine-member supreme ruling body of the Baháʼí Faith. It was envisioned by Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, as an institution that could legislate on issues not already addressed in the ...

Composition

This book is primarily based on a similar Persian book published in Tehran with the title ''Montaḵabāt-e āyāt az āṯār-e Hażrat-e Noqṭa-ye Ūlā'', although the English translation was published a year earlier than the Persian version. The Báb's writings were reviewed by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, and the selected passages were translated by Habib Taherzadeh, with the assistance of a translating committee.

Denis MacEoin Denis M. MacEoin (26 January 1949 – 6 June 2022) was a British academic, scholar and writer with a focus on Persian, Arabic and Islamic studies. He authored several academic books and articles, as well as many pieces of journalism. Since 2014 ...

describes the book as a "heavily edited selection of passages". According to the scholar, the editorial stance of the

Baháʼí administration The Baháʼí administration is a system of elected and appointed institutions to govern the affairs of the Baháʼí Faith, Baháʼí community. Its supreme body is the Universal House of Justice, elected every five years. Some features set ...

in selecting the content of the book was intended to present a "tendentious" and "partisan viewpoint" regarding the Báb, specifically his precursor role in relation to

Baháʼu'lláh Baháʼu'lláh (, born Ḥusayn-ʻAlí; 12 November 1817 – 29 May 1892) was an Iranian religious leader who founded the Baháʼí Faith. He was born to an aristocratic family in Iran and was exiled due to his adherence to the messianic Báb ...

, rather than accurately representing his teachings and wider thought.

Content

The book contains excerpts from four of Báb's works, including '' Qayyūm al-asmā'', '' Persian Bayán'', '' Dalá'il-i-Sab'ih'' and '' Kitábu'l-Asmáʼ''. Not any of the sections deal with legal prescriptions. MacEoin argues that this can be explained by the evident reluctance of the Baháʼís to publish the complete texts of the Báb's works, as instructed by

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (; Persian: , ;, 23 May 1844 – 28 November 1921), born ʻAbbás (, ), was the eldest son of Baháʼu'lláh, founder of the Bahá’í Faith, who designated him to be his successor and head of the Baháʼí Faith from 1892 un ...

. The Baháʼí perspective is that the laws of

have been abrogated, superseded, and canceled in favor of their own. As a result, they refrain from preaching '' Bayán''.

Reception

, in his book ''The Sources for Early Bābī Doctrine and History'', mentions several points that he deems as flaws in the book, writing "lack of an introduction, the virtual absence of notes, and the failure to indicate identity, provenance, condition, and location of manuscripts used or the reasons for their choice... no indication as to whether a given passage was translated on the basis of one or more manuscripts; and, in several cases, the original is only vaguely identified as a prayer or tablet".

Citations

References

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External links