Read: Sources for studying the life and writings of Abdu'l-Baha


Contents



General overviews of the life, character, or teachings of Abdu'l-Bahá

      Amin Banani: "The Writings of Abdu'l-Bahá," from World Order 6:1 (Fall 1971), pages 67-74

      Anonymous: "Editorial: Abdu'l-Bahá Abbás," from World Order 6:1 (Fall 1971), pages 3-5

      Marzieh Gail: "Abdu'l-Bahá: Portrayals East and West," from World Order 6:1 (Fall 1971), pages 29-46, reprinted in Dawn over Mt. Hira and Other Essays (George Ronald, 1976), pages 194-218, online at http://bahai-library.com/essays/portrayals.html

      Jessyca Russell Gaver, "The Center of the Covenant–Abdu'l-Bahá," chapter 4/pages 77-103, in The Bahá'í Faith: Dawn of a New Day (Hawthorne Books, 1967)

      Moojan Momen, "Encyclopedia article on Abdu'l-Bahá," online at http://bahai-library.com/encyclopedia/abdulbaha.html

      Shoghi Effendi, "Abdu'l-Bahá," section 3 of Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, reprinted in World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, 131-39, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/shoghieffendi/wob

      Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By 240-43, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/shoghieffendi/gpb

      George Townshend, "Abdu'l-Bahá: A Study of a Christ-like Character," in The Mission of Bahá'u'lláh (first edition 1952) pages 46-55

      George Townshend, "The Letters of Abdu'l-Bahá," in The Mission of Bahá'u'lláh (1952) pages 77-87, online at http://bahai-library.com/essays/letters.ab.html.

      Allan Ward, "Abdu'l-Bahá," in World Order 4:4 (summer 1970), pages 24-31

     
Various, Lights of Guidance provides a variety of notes on 'Abdu’l-Bahá, 485-89.



Outlines and study guides of Abdu'l-Bahá's writings

Secret of Divine Civilization


      Roger Coe, "Expanded Outline of The Secret of Divine Civilization" (unpublished), online at http://bahai-library.com/study/outline.html

      Barbara Casterline, "The Education of Nations: A book review of Secret of Divine Civilization," in Bahá'í News September 1972, online at http://bahai-library.com/reviews/casterline.html

      Habib Riazati, "The Secret of Divine Civilization study questions," (unpublished), online at http://bahai-library.com/study/sdc.questions.html

      Nader Saiedi, "An Introduction to 'Abdul-Baha's The Secret of Divine Civilization" (unpublished), online at http://converge.landegg.edu/saiedi5.htm


Some Answered Questions


      Brett Zamir, Some Answered Questions overview and outline (unpublished), online at http://bahai-library.com/study/saq


Traveler's Narrative


      Brett Zamir, Correlation of passages from Traveler's Narrative with God Passes By and the Dawn-Breakers (unpublished), online at http://bahai-library.com/study/travelers.narrative.html



The early years, 1844-1892

overviews

      Kazem Kazemzadeh and Firuz Kazemzadeh: "Five Books about Abdu'l-Bahá," from World Order 6:1 (Fall 1971).

      Annamarie Honnold, comp., Vignettes from the Life of Abdu'l-Bahá (George Ronald, 1982)

      Adib Taherzadeh The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh (George Ronald, 1992), chapter 9/pages 135-140, "The relationship of Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá"


early writings

      Abdu'l-Bahá, trans. and ed. by E.G. Browne, A Traveller's Narrative (Cambridge, 1891), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/tn

     
Abdu'l-Bahá, trans. and introduced by Moojan Momen, "Commentary on ‘I Was a Hidden Treasure’" in Bahá’í Studies Bulletin, 3.4 (Dec. 1985) and online at http://bahai-library.com/provisionals/hidden.treasure.html


historical accounts

      Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1940), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/chosen, chapter 11: "Abdu'l-Bahá" and "The Bride of Abdu'l-Bahá," pages 80-90 and "Abdu'l-Bahá in 'Akka," pages 99-104, online at http://bahai-library.com/books/chosen

      Anjam Khursheed, The Seven Candles of Unity: The Story of Abdu'l-Bahá in Edinburgh (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1991), chapter 1: "Abdu'l-Bahá in the lifetime of his Father"

      Ruhiyyih Rabbani (Khanum), The Priceless Pearl (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969), chapter 1: "The Childhood and Youth of Shoghi Effendi"

      David S. Ruhe, Door of Hope: A Century of the Bahá'í Faith in the Holy Land (George Ronald, 1983), chapters 7-13/pages 26-76

      David S. Ruhe, Robe of Light: The Persian Years of Bahá'u'lláh (George Ronald, 1994), 57-8, 142-43.

     
Universal House of Justice, Century of Light, pages 7-13 (section on the Secret of Divine Civilization), online at http://bahai-library.com/published.uhj/century.light



Center of the Covenant, 1892-1910

on the Bahá'í community

      Gary L. Morrison, "Abdu'l-Bahá and The Early American Bahá'ís," in World Order 6:3 (Spring 1972), pages 31-44.

      Peter Smith, "The American Bahá'í Community 1894-1917," in Studies in Babi and Bahá'í History vol. 1

      Robert Stockman, The Bahá'í Faith in American vol. 1: Origins, 1892-1900 (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1985) and The Bahá'í Faith in America vol. 2: Early Expansion, 1900-1912 (George Ronald, 1995); summarized in "The American Bahá'í Identity 1894-1921," in Bahá'í Studies Bulletin 6:4-7:2 (1992)


on the Center of the Covenant

      Bahá'u'lláh, "Kitab-i-Ahd (Book of the Covenant)," in Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas, pages 219-223, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/bahaullah/tb/13.html

      Lowell Johnson, The Eternal Covenant (Bahá'í Publishing Trust of South Africa, 1986

      Adib Taherzadeh, "Kitab-i-Aqdas 5: The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh," in Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh vol. 3: 1868/77, chapter 18/pages 371-399

      Adib Taherzadeh The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh (George Ronald, 1992), chapters 10-20/pages 141-244


historical accounts and pilgrims' notes

      R. Jackson Armstrong-Ingram, Music, Devotions, and the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar (Kalimat Press, 1987), pages 11-20 passim, 123-74 passim

      Anne Gordon Atkinson et al., Green Acre on the Piscataqua (Green Acre Bahá'í School Council, 1991), pages 29-46 passim

      Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1940), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/chosen

      Thornton Chase, In Galilee (Kalimat Press, 1985; first published 1908), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/galilee.html

      Ella Goodall Cooper and Helen S. Goodall, Daily Lessons received at Akká, January 1908 (US Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1979)

      Marzieh Gail, Summon Up Remembrance (George Ronald, 1987), passim

      Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1979; first published 1907), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/tendays

      Mirza Abu'l-Fadl Gulpaygani, trans. Juan Cole, Letters and Essays 1886-1913 (Kalimat Press, 1985), "On Meeting Abdu'l-Bahá," pages 87-91

      May Maxwell, "An Early Pilgrimage" (first published 1917), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/pilgrimage.maxwell.html

      Velda Piff Metelmann, Lua Getsinger: Herald of the Covenant (George Ronald, 1997), pages 1-122 passim

      Myron H. Phelps, The Master in Akká, originally published as The Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi (Kalimat, 1985)

      Nathan Rutstein, Corinne True: Faithful Handmaiden of Abdu'l-Bahá (George Ronald, 1987), pages 37-92 passim

      Nathan Rutstein, He Loved and Served: The Story of Curtis Kelsey (George Ronald, 1982), pages 1-100 passim

      Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By 244-78, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/shoghieffendi/gpb

      Robert Stockman, Thornton Chase, the First American Bahá'í (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 2001); online in early draft form at http://bahai-library.com/books/t.chase; see also field notes at http://bahai-library.com/resources/chicago.house and http://bahai-library.com/resources/chase.papers

      Juliet Thompson, "A Glimpse of the Master," from World Order 6:1 (Fall 1971), pages 47-66

      Juliet Thompson, The Diary of Juliet Thompson (Kalimat Press, 1983; first published 1947), 1909/pages 3-146, online at http://bahai-library.com/books

      Roy Wilhelm, Stanwood Cobb, and Genevieve L. Coy, In His Presence: Visits to Abdu'l-Bahá (Kalimat Press, 1989)

      O. Z. Whitehead Some Early Bahá’ís of the West (George Ronald, 1976)

      Bruce W. Whitmore, The Dawning Place: The Building of the Temple (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1984), pages 28-35 passim



Travels and talks, 1911-1913

overviews

      Marzieh Gail: "Abdu'l-Bahá in America," from World Order 10:4 (July 1944), pages 110-119, reprinted in Dawn over Mt. Hira and Other Essays (George Ronald, 1976), pages 184-193

      Allan L. Ward, 239 Days: Abdu'l-Bahá's Journey in America (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1979)

      Allan L. Ward, "Abdu'l-Bahá: Speaking in America," in World Order 6:2 (Winter 1971-72), pages 38-48

      Mirza Mahmud-i-Zarqani, trans. Mohi Sobhani, Mahmud's Diary: The Diary of Mirza Mahmud-i-Zarqani Chronicling Abdu'l-Bahá's Journey to America (George Ronald, 1998)


on the Bahá'í community

      Peter Smith, "The American Bahá'í Community 1894-1917," in Studies in Babi and Bahá'í History vol. 1

      Philip R. Smith, "What Was a Bahá'í? Concerns of British Bahá'ís 1900-1920," in Studies in the Babi and Bahá'í Religions vol. 5


specific historical accounts

      Elham Afnan, "Abdu'l-Bahá and Ezra Pound's Circle," published in the Journal of Bahá'í Studies 6:2 (June-Sept. 1994)

      Anne Gordon Atkinson et al., Green Acre on the Piscataqua (Green Acre Bahá'í School Council, 1991), pages 47-60 passim

      Ramona Allen Brown, Memories of Abdu'l-Bahá (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1980); see also review of same by Firuz Kazemzadeh, "Remembering the Master," in World Order 14:3-4 (Spring/Summer 1980), pages 46-48

      Suheil Bushrui and Joe Jenkins, Khalil Gibran: Man and Poet (Oneworld, 1998), 125-26 and 252-55, excerpts online at http://bahai-library.com/excerpts/gibran.bushrui.html

      Marion Carpenter Yazdi, Youth in the Vanguard (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1982), chapters 2 and 8

      Will van den Hoonaard, The Origins of the Bahá’í Faith in Canada, 1898-1948 (), with related material published in World Order, 22.1/2 (Fall 1987 Winter 1987-88), 39-49 and "The Bahá’í Community of Canada: A Case Study in the Transplantation of Non-Western Religious Movements to Western Societies," in Journal of Bahá’í Studies, 7:3 (March-June 1997), 17-42

      Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom (multiple editions; first published 1937), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/portals

      Anjam Khursheed, The Seven Candles of Unity: The Story of Abdu'l-Bahá in Edinburgh (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1991)

      Elaine Lacroix-Hopson and Hussain Ahdieh, Abdu'l-Bahá in New York: The City of the Covenant (NewVistaDesign, 1999), excerpted online at http://bahainyc.org/presentations/ab

      Velda Piff Metelmann, Lua Getsinger: Herald of the Covenant (George Ronald, 1997), pages 123-199 passim

      Gayle Morrison, To Move the World: Louis G. Gregory and the Advancement of Racial Unity in America (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1982, chapter 6, "Abdu'l-Bahá in America"

      Agnes Parsons (Richard Hollinger, ed.), Abdu'l-Bahá in America: Agnes Parsons' Diary (Kalimat Press, 1996)

      Ahang Rabbani, "Abdu'l-Bahá's Meeting with Two Prominent Iranians," in World Order 30:1 (Fall 1998), 35-46, online at http://bahai-library.com/articles/qazvini.html

      Nathan Rutstein, Corinne True: Faithful Handmaiden of Abdu'l-Bahá (George Ronald, 1987), pages 92-109 passim

      Juliet Thompson, The Diary of Juliet Thompson (Kalimat Press, 1983; first published 1947), 1911-1912/pages 149-395, online at http://bahai-library.com/books

      Bruce W. Whitmore, The Dawning Place: The Building of the Temple (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1984), pages 56-69 passim



The War and the Tablets of the Divine Plan, 1914-1921

on the Bahá'í community

      Philip R. Smith, "What Was a Bahá'í? Concerns of British Bahá'ís 1900-1920," in Studies in the Babi and Bahá'í Religions vol. 5


historical accounts

      Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1940), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/chosen

      Marzieh Gail, Arches of the Years (George Ronald, 1991), passim

      Riaz Khadem, Shoghi Effendi in Oxford and Earlier (George Ronald, 1999), chapters 1-6/pages 1-57

      George Orr Latimer, The Light of the World [pilgrimage to Haifa in 1919], first published 1920, online at http://bahai-library.com/pilgrims/light.of.world.html

      Moojan Momen, "Esslemont's Survey of the Bahá'í Community in 1919-1920," serialized in Bahá'í Studies Bulletin in five parts, 1:1 (1982)-3:1 (1984)

      David S. Ruhe, Door of Hope: A Century of the Bahá'í Faith in the Holy Land (George Ronald, 1983), chapters 24-26/pages 145-155

      Bahiyyih Randall Winkler, My Pilgrimage to Haifa, November 1919 (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1941)

      Ali M. Yazdi, Blessing Beyond Measure: Recollections of Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi (US Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1988)



The Will and Testament and the Passing of Abdu'l-Bahá, 1921

on the passing of Abdu'l-Bahá

      Florian and Grace Krug, "Accounts of the Passing of Abdu'l-Bahá," in World Order 7:2 (winter 1972-73), pages 38-42

      Munirih Khanum, trans. Sammireh Anwar Smith, Munirih Khanum: Memoirs and Letters (Kalimat Press, 1986), "Letter of Lament: 1922 [on the anniversary of the passing of Abdu'l-Bahá]," pages 57-62

      Ruhiyyih Rabbani (Khanum), The Priceless Pearl (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1969), chapter 2: "The Passing of Abdu'l-Bahá and its Immediate Consequences"

      Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By 309-24, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/shoghieffendi/gpb

      Shoghi Effendi and Lady Blomfield, The Passing of Abdu'l-Bahá (originally published Haifa: Rosenfeld Brothers, 1922, later abridged for World Order 6:1 [Fall 1971], pages 6-18), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/passing.html

      Emogene Hoagg, "Letter from Haifa in the Mourning Time," published in World Order 6:2 (Winter 1971-72), 34-37, online at http://bahai-library.com/letters/hoagg.mourning.html


on the Will and Testament

      David Hofman, A Commentary on the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í World vol. IX 1940-44, later reprinted by George Ronald, 1982), online at http://bahai-library.com/study/will.hofman.html

      Ruhiyyih Khanum, 25 Years of the Guardianship, http://bahai-library.com/books/guardianship.html

      Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By pages 325-28, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/shoghieffendi/gpb

      Adib Taherzadeh, Child of the Covenant (George Ronald, 2000), chapters 12-26, pages 130-264



Selected Topics

the Station of the Master

      Bahá'u'lláh, "Surih-i-Ghusn," published in Bahá'í World Faith (US Bahá'í Publishing

Trust, 1966) 204-207, online at http://bahai-library.com/provisionals/tablet.branch.html

      Shoghi Effendi, "Abdu'l-Bahá," section 3 of Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, reprinted in World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, 131-39, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/shoghieffendi/wob

      Robert Stockman, "Appendix 3: Understanding the Station of Abdu'l-Bahá," in The Bahá'í Faith in America vol. 2: Early Expansion, 1900-1912 (George Ronald, 1995), pages 405-408.

      Adib Taherzadeh, "Suriy-i-Ghusn," in Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh vol. 2: 1863-68, chapter 18/pages 388-96


political teachings

      Abdu'l-Bahá, trans. and introduced by E. G. Browne, "Three Tablets of Abdu'l-Bahá on Persian politics" from The Persian Revolution of 1905 -1909 (Cambridge, 1910), online at http://bahai-library.com/provisionals/revolution.html

      Abdu'l-Bahá, Secret of Divine Civilization passim; Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Bahá, 132-33, 283-95, both online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/abdulbaha

      Abdu'l-Bahá, "Tablet to the Hague," first 2/3 published in Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá‘, pp. 296-307 and last 1/3 in The Bahá'í Revelation, pp. 208-19; both assembled online at http://bahai-library.com/provisionals/lawh.hague.html; see discussion in God Passes By page 308, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/shoghieffendi/gpb

      John Huddleston, The Search for a Just Society (George Ronald, 1989), pages 403-20, 454-56

      Firuz Kazemzadeh, "The Tablet to the Hague," in World Order 4:2 (Winter 1969-70), pages 4-11

      Charles Lerche, ed., Toward the Most Great Justice: Elements of Justice in the New World Order (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1996), passim


philosophy and theology

      Abdu'l-Bahá: select any of the following: Tablet to Auguste Forel; Promulgation of Universal Peace, 326-7; Abdu'l-Bahá on Divine Philosophy (online at http://bahai-library.com/books/div.phil); Some Answered Questions passim (select any of the main topics covered, e.g. Christian philosophy, the theology of Spirit and the Manifestations, the relationship between God and man, astrology, reincarnation, etc.)

     
Abdu'l-Bahá, trans. and introduced by Moojan Momen, "Commentary on ‘I Was a Hidden Treasure’" in Bahá’í Studies Bulletin, 3.4 (Dec. 1985) and online at http://bahai-library.com/provisionals/hidden.treasure.html

      B. Hoff Conow, A Resurgent Model of the Universe (George Ronald, 1990)

      Anjam Khursheed, The Seven Candles of Unity: The Story of Abdu'l-Bahá in Edinburgh (UK Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1991), chapter 7: "Theosophy in Scotland," pages 57-61

      Julio Savi, The Eternal Quest for God: An Introduction to the Divine Philosophy of `Abdu'l-Bahá (George Ronald, 1989), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/quest

      John Paul Vader, For the Good of Mankind: Auguste Forel and the Bahá'í Faith (George Ronald, 1984)


evolution

      Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, pages 177-199, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/abdulbaha/saq

Keven Brown, "Are 'Abdu'l-Bahá's views on evolution original?," in Bahá'í Studies Review 7 (1997), online at http://bahai-library.com/articles/evolution.html

      Keven Brown, ed., Evolution and Bahá'í Belief: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Response to Nineteenth-Century Darwinism (Kalimat Press, 2001)

      Anjam Khursheed, Science and Religion (Oneworld, 1987), pages 55-98

      Eberhard von Kitzing,
"The Origin of Complex Order in Biology: `Abdu'l-Bahá's concept of the originality of species compared to concepts in modern biology," from Keven Brown, ed., Evolution and Bahá'í Belief (Kalimat Press, 2001), online at http://bahai-library.com/unpubl.articles/originality

      Craig Loehle, "On Human Origins: A Bahá’í Perspective," in Journal of Bahá’í Studies, 2.4 (1989-1990); see also his On the Shoulders of Giants, 92-115. Commentary on the article "On Human Origins" by Arash Abizadeh in Journal of Bahá’í Studies, 3.1 (1990-1991), and by Iraj Ayman, Susan Brill, M. K. Rohani, and Craig Loehle in Journal of Bahá'í Studies 4:1 (March-June 1991) and 4:3 (1991)



Visual items

      Abdu'l-Bahá, with Lua Getsinger and Curtis Kelsey, "Diagram of Explanation of Spiritual Evolution as Taught from the Bahá'í Teachings," online at http://bahai-library.com/visuals/evolution.txt.html

      Abdu'l-Bahá's horoscope (birth chart), online at http://bahai-library.com/visuals/horoscope.html

      Kahlil Gibran, Portrait of Abdu'l-Bahá, online at http://bahai-library.com/excerpts/gibran.bushrui.html

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