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Posted with permission of author and publisher Kalimat Press;
Scanned by Duane Troxel; Proofread by Jonah Winters and Lynn Jaluvka; formatted for the web by Jonah Winters. Please support this online re-printing by ordering a copy of the book. See also the following reviews of this book: Review by Frank Lewis, in Bahá'í Studies Review, vol. 6 (1996) Review by Jonah Winters, in Iranian Studies 32:1 (1999) Review by Jonah Winters, in Journal of Bahá'í Studies 9:3 (1999). See also "An Introduction to Bahá'u'lláh's Book of Certitude" and "Dating Bahá'u'lláh's Book of Certitude" (offsite). |
[page iv]
click for larger photo
MANUSCRIPT ORIGINAL
The opening page of the original manuscript of the Kitáb-i Íqán in the handwriting of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, produced in 1278 A.H. (1861-62 C.E.). Minor marginal additions were made by Bahá'u'lláh himself. The manuscript was given to Hájí Mírzá Sayyid Muhammad in Baghdad, in reply to his questions, and remained in his family until 1948, when it was donated to the Bahá'í World Centre.(Courtesy of the Bahá'í World Centre.)
[page v]
VOLUME SEVEN
General Editor
ANTHONY A. LEE
SYMBOL AND SECRET:
QUR'AN COMMENTARY IN BAHÁ'U'LLÁH'S KITÁB-I ÍQÁN
By
CHRISTOPHER BUCK
Visiting Assistant Professor, Michigan State University, buckc@msu.edu
KALIMÁT PRESS
LOS ANGELES
[page vi]
All rights reserved.
First Edition.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
(Revised for vol. 5)
Studies in Bábí and Bahá'í history.
Vols. 5-has title: Studies in the Bábí and Bahá'í religions. Includes bibliographies.BP330.S78 1982 297.89 83-227
Contents: v. 1 [no title]-v. 2 From Iran east and west / edited by Juan R. Cole and Moojan Momen-[etc.]-v. 7. Symbol and Secret: Qur'an commentary in Bahá'u'lláh's Kitáb-i Íqan / by Christopher Buck. 1. Bahá'í Faith-History. 2. Babism-History. I. Momen, Moojan. II. Cole, Juan Ricardo. III. Smith, Peter, 1947, Nov. 27- . IV. R. Jacksong Armstrong-Ingram. V. Title: Studies in the Bábí and Bahá'i religions.
ISBN 0-933770-16-2 (v. 1)
ISBN 0-933770-78-2 (v. 7, casebound)
ISBN 0-933770-80-4 (v. 7, paperbound)
[page vii]
Shouldst thou reflect upon these words [Rev. 1:16-17], thou wouldst find them to exemplify the utmost perspicuity and highest eloquencenay, to have attained the furthest limit of refinement of expression and the last degree of elegant lucidity, as if the very suns of eloquence had been generated from them, and the stars of perspicuity had risen and shone resplendently above their horizon.
... Know then that He [Jesus], Who in the realms of glory gave utterance to these words, wished to describe the signs of the One Who would appear by means of symbol and allusion lest the worldly should perceive His meaning.
Bahá'u'lláh
The Essence of Mysteries
[page viii]
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[page ix]
Foreword by Juan R. I. Cole............................................xi
Acknowledgements.......................................................xv
Introduction..........................................................xix
Chapter One
Bahá'u'lláh and the Book of Certitude...................................1
Chapter Two
Exegesis and Ideology: The Doctrinal Content of the Book of Certitude..51
Chapter Three
Beyond Islam: Hermeneutical Terminology in the Book of Certitude.......81
Chapter Four
Exegetical Techniques in the Book of Certitude........................109
Chapter Five
Conclusion: The Other Side of the Bridge..............................233
Bibliography..........................................................305
Appendix: Quran verses cited in the Íqán..............................325
Introduction |
