Kitáb-i-Íqán
Bahá’u’lláh
Bahá’u’lláh’s principal doctrinal work, revealed in Baghdad in 1861 within the space of two days and two nights, in response to questions from the Báb’s maternal uncle. Translated by Shoghi Effendi and published in 1931. In his foreword, Shoghi Effendi called it a ‘book of unsurpassed pre-eminence among the writings of the Author of the Bahá’í Revelation.’ In God Passes By he wrote that it occupies ‘a position unequalled by any work in the entire range of Bahá’í literature, except the Kitáb-i-Aqdas,’ describing it as ‘a model of Persian prose, of a style at once original, chaste and vigorous, and remarkably lucid, both cogent in argument and matchless in its irresistible eloquence.’ In letters he called it ‘the most important book written on the spiritual significance of the Cause.’
Each paragraph below pairs the original Persian text with Shoghi Effendi’s English rendering. Click any passage to view the full parallel text.