Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl
Encyclopedia
or (1844–1914) was the foremost Bahá'í
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
scholar who helped spread the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
in Egypt
Bahá'í Faith in Egypt
The Bahá'í Faith in Egypt has a history over a century old. Perhaps the first Bahá'ís arrive in 1863. Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the religion, was himself briefly in Egypt in 1868 when on his way to imprisonment in `Akká. The first Egyptians were converts by 1896...
, Turkmenistan
Bahá'í Faith in Turkmenistan
The Bahá'í Faith in Turkmenistan begins before Russian advances into the region when the area was under the influence of Persia. By 1887 a community of Bahá'í refugees from religious violence in Persia had made a religious center in Ashgabat. Shortly afterwards — by 1894 — Russia made...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He is one of the few Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh
Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh
The Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh were nineteen eminent early followers of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. The apostles were designated as such by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, and the list was included in The Bahá'í World, Vol...
who never actually met Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
. His given name was Muhammad, and he chose the alias Abu'l-Fadl (progenitor of virtue) for himself, but `Abdu'l-Bahá
`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
frequently addressed him as Abu'l-Fada'il (progenitor of virtues).
Early life
Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl was born in a village near Gulpaygan, IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, sometime in the months of June or July 1844. His family were prominent religious scholars in the village; his father, Mirza Muhammad Rida Shari`atmadar, was a religious leader, and his mother, Sharafu'n-Nisa, was related to the prayer leader of the town. Abu'l-Fadl completed his preliminary education in Gulpaygan, and then successively went to Arak
Arak, Iran
-Industries:thumb|right|250px|wagon parsArak is one of the main industrial cities of Iran, possessing many plants for heavy industries especially for the metal and machinery industries, including:...
, Karbala
Karbala
Karbala is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorate, and has an estimated population of 572,300 people ....
and Najaf
Najaf
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
to continue his education. In 1868 he left to Isfahan
Isfahan (city)
Isfahan , historically also rendered in English as Ispahan, Sepahan or Hispahan, is the capital of Isfahan Province in Iran, located about 340 km south of Tehran. It has a population of 1,583,609, Iran's third largest city after Tehran and Mashhad...
to study Islamic science
Islamic science
Science in the medieval Islamic world, also known as Islamic science or Arabic science, is the science developed and practised in the Islamic world during the Islamic Golden Age . During this time, Indian, Iranian and especially Greek knowledge was translated into Arabic...
s at one of the religious colleges in the city; he was given a room by one of the prayer leaders, Imam-Jum`ih, Sayyid Muhammad Sultanu'l-`Ulama, who was a friend of his father's. Abu'l-Fadl remained at the college for three years, becoming well versed in several branches of knowledge. Abu'l-Fadl's father died in the winter of 1871, and after his death, Abu'l-Fadl's brothers schemed against him and took all their father's inheritance.
In October 1873, Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl was invited to Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
to teach Kalam
Kalam
ʿIlm al-Kalām is the Islamic philosophical discipline of seeking theological principles through dialectic. Kalām in Islamic practice relates to the discipline of seeking theological knowledge through debate and argument. A scholar of kalām is referred to as a mutakallim...
, or speculative theology, at the Madrasih Hakim Hashim, one of the religious colleges in the city. During the time he was at the religious college, he was able to continue learning about philosophy and mystical philosophy, or Irfan
Irfan
‘Irfān literally means knowing/awareness. The term is often translated as gnosis, however it also refers to Islamic mysticism. Those with the name are sometimes referred to as having an insight into the unseen...
, by attending the lectures of Mírzá Abu'l-Hasan Jilvih, one of the leading figures on the subject. Furthermore during his time at Madrasih Hakim Hashim, he also discussed the history of religion with two Buddhist scholars who where in Tehran at the same time, and attended science classes at the élite school of Dar ol-Fonoon, founded by Amir Kabir
Amir Kabir
Amir Kabir , also known as Mirza Taghi Khan Amir-Nezam , also known by the titles of Atabak and Amir-e Nezam; chief minister to Naser al-Din Shah Qajar for the first three years of his reign and one of the most capable and innovative figures to appear in the whole Qajar period...
, the grand vizier
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
to Nasereddin Shah. After a short time at the Madrasih Hakim Hashim, he was selected to be the head of the religious college.
Conversion to the Bahá'í Faith and arrests
Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl's first encounters with Bahá'ísBahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
was in the beginning of 1876 during his time in Tehran. Abu'l-Fadl, at one point, met an uneducated cloth-seller, named Aqa `Abdu'l-Karim, with whom he would have discussions over difficult religious questions. Over time Abu'l-Fadl came to appreciate `Abdu'l-Karim's keenness and moral qualities, but when eventually he learnt that `Abdu'l-Karim was a Bahá'í and that the points he was making were predominantly derived from Bahá'í scripture
Bahá'í literature
Bahá'í literature, like much religious text, covers a variety of topics and forms, including scripture and inspiration, interpretation, history and biography, introduction and study materials, and apologia...
, Abu'l-Fadl was saddened. Abu'l-Fadl, however, became curious about the Bahá'í Faith, and asked to meet other Bahá'ís. There is a famous story of Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl's meeting with a Bahá'í blacksmith:
- "It so happened that on the way out one of the donkeys lost a shoe, so the party called at the nearest blacksmith for help. Noticing the long beard and large turban of Mirza Abu'l-Fadl -- indications of his vast knowledge -- the blacksmithBlacksmithA blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
Ustad Husayn-i-Na'l-Band (shoeing smith), who was illiterate, was tempted to enter into conversation with the learned man. He said to Mirza that since he had honoured him with his presence, it would be a great privilege for him if he could be allowed to ask a question which had perplexed his mind for some time. When permission was granted he said, 'Is it true that in the Traditions of Shí'ah Islam it is stated that each drop of rain is accompanied by an angel from heaven? And that this angel brings down the rain to the ground?' 'This is true,' Mirza Abu'l-Fadl responded. After a pause, the blacksmith begged to be allowed to ask another question to which Mirza gave his assent. 'Is it true', the blacksmith asked, 'that if there is a dog in a house no angel will ever visit that house?' Before thinking of the connection between the two questions, Mirza Abu'l-Fadl responded in the affirmative. 'In that case', commented the blacksmith, 'no rain should ever fall in a house where a dog is kept.' Mirza Abu'l-Fadl, the noted learned man of Islam, was now confounded by an illiterate blacksmith. His rage knew no bounds, and his companions noticed that he was filled with shame. They whispered to him, 'This blacksmith is a Bahá'í!'"
In the next several months, Abu'l-Fadl met with some of the leading Bahá'ís including Nabíl-i-Akbar
Nabíl-i-Akbar
Áqá Muḥammad-i-Qá'iní also known as Fadil-i-Qa'ini surnamed Nabíl-i-Akbar , was a distinguished Bahá'í from the town of Qá'in...
, Mirza Isma`il Dhabih and Aqa Mirza Haydar `Ali Ardistani. While he was at Mirza Isma`il Dhabih's house, he read two of Bahá'u'lláh's tablets
Tablet (religious)
A tablet, in the religious context, is a term traditionally used for religious texts.Jews and Christians believe that Moses brought the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai in the form of two stone tablets. According to the Book of Exodus, God delivered the tablets twice, the first set having been...
, the Lawh-i-Ra'ís (Tablet of the Chief) and the Lawh-i-Fu'ád (Tablet of Fu'ad Pasha), which contain prophecies both of the fall of the Ottoman Sultan Abd-ul-Aziz and vizier `Ali Páshá and of the loss of Adrianople
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
from the Sultan. He determined that if the events portrayed in those tablets came to pass, he would believe in Bahá'u'lláh.
A few months later, when precisely the events foretold in the tablets occurred, Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl accepted the Bahá'í Faith and became a Bahá'í on 20 September 1876. As soon as he became a Bahá'í, Abu'l-Fadl began to teach the new religion to others, and when news spread of his conversion away from Islam, he was removed from the religious college. He found a new position as a teacher at a school for Zoroastrian children that was established by Mánikchi Sáhib
Mánikchí Limjí Hataria
Maneckji Limji Hataria , was a Parsi-Zoroastrian scholar and civil rights activist.In 1854 Hataria was appointed emissary by the "Persian Zoroastrian Amelioration Fund", an organization founded in Bombay by Dinshaw Maneckji Petit with the aim of improving the conditions for the less fortunate...
, an Indian Parsi. During his time at the school, a number of Zoroastrians converted to the Bahá'í Faith including Ustad Javanmard and Mulla Bahram Akhtar-Khavari. He continued to teach the Bahá'í Faith during the next ten years that he spent in Tehran, and helped Mírzá Husayn Hamadani produce an account of the history of the Bábí
Bábism
The Babi Faith is a religious movement that flourished in Persia from 1844 to 1852, then lingered on in exile in the Ottoman Empire as well as underground. Its founder was Siyyid `Alí Muhammad Shirazi, who took the title Báb—meaning "Gate"—from a Shi'a theological term...
and Bahá'í religions, the Tarikh-i-Jadid (The New History), which was commissioned by Mánikchi Sáhib. In Tehran, he was also imprisoned on three occasions. He was first imprisoned in December 1876 when it was found that he had converted to the Bahá'í Faith; he was released after five months. He was next imprisoned in 1882-83 for nineteen months, with fifty or so other Bahá'ís in Tehran, when the governor of the city, Kamran Mirza, ordered their arrests at the instigation of Sayyid Sadiq Sanglaji, a religious leader in the city. Then, in October 1885 he was imprisoned for another six months, once again, due to orders from Kamran Mirza.
Travels
Kashan
Kashan is a city in and the capital of Kashan County, in the province of Isfahan, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 248,789, in 67,464 families....
, Isfahan
Isfahan (city)
Isfahan , historically also rendered in English as Ispahan, Sepahan or Hispahan, is the capital of Isfahan Province in Iran, located about 340 km south of Tehran. It has a population of 1,583,609, Iran's third largest city after Tehran and Mashhad...
, Yazd
Yazd
Yazd is the capital of Yazd Province in Iran, and a centre of Zoroastrian culture. The city is located some 175 miles southeast of Isfahan. At the 2006 census, the population was 423,006, in 114,716 families....
and Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
. In 1888 and the three years thereafter he travelled to Ashgabat, Samarkand
Samarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
, and Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
. During his time in Ashgabat, Haji Muhammad Rida Isfahani, a prominent Bahá'í was assassinated; Abu'l-Fadl acted as the spokesman on behalf of the Bahá'í at the trial of the murders, and helped establish the independence of the Bahá'í Faith from Islam for the Russian government. In Samarkand, his teaching efforts allowed for the conversion of the first Afghan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
Bahá'í, Dr. `Ata'u'llah Khan.
In 1894 Abu'l-Fadl spent ten months with `Abdu'l-Bahá
`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
in 'Akká
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
, then in 1894 went to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, where he settled for several years. In Egypt, he was successful in converting some thirty of the students of Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University is an educational institute in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 970~972 as a madrasa, it is the chief centre of Arabic literature and Islamic learning in the world. It is the oldest degree-granting university in Egypt. In 1961 non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.It is...
, the foremost institution of learning in the Sunni Muslim
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
world. Abu'l-Fadl also became friends with writers and magazine publishers, and many articles that he authored appeared in the Egyptian press. In 1896, when Nasiru'd-Din Shah was assassinated in Iran, an enemy of the Bahá'ís, Za`imu'd-Dawlih, used the rumour that the assassination had been performed by Bahá'ís, to cause a massacre of the Bahá'ís in Egypt. When Abu'l-Fadl, stood up in defence for the Bahá'ís and stated that he himself was a Bahá'í, his allegiance became public; then when his two books Fara'id and Al-Duraru'l-Bahiyyih were published in 1897-1900 the al-Azhar University decreed that Abu'l-Fadl was an infidel
Infidel
An infidel is one who has no religious beliefs, or who doubts or rejects the central tenets of a particular religion – especially in reference to Christianity or Islam....
.
Between 1900 and 1904 he travelled to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, by request of `Abdu'l-Bahá, where his talks and writings enabled the fledgling Bahá'í communities to gain confidence and a clear understanding of the religion. During his travels, he was accompanied by Laura Clifford Barney, an American Bahá'í. In Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, his talks were translated by Anton Haddad, and over thirty people became Bahá'ís. Then in the autumn of 1901 travelled to the United States, and specifically to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where the largest Bahá'í community was, and gave a large number of talks. Then in December 1901, Abu'l-Fadl travelled to Washington D.C. and gave talks to both Bahá'ís and the general population. During this time, he also continuously worked on an introductory book on the Bahá'í Faith.
Abu'l-Fadl then travelled to the Green Acre Bahá'í School
Green Acre
Green Acre is a conference facility in Eliot, Maine, in the United States. It was founded by Sarah Farmer in 1894. The name Green Acre came from poet John Greenleaf Whittier, a personal friend of the Farmer family....
in Eliot
Eliot, Maine
Eliot is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 6,204 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area....
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
where he stayed during the months of July and August 1903 and lectured to a Bahá'í audience. In 1904, `Abdu'l-Bahá asked that Abu'l-Fadl return to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and the Bahá'ís held a large farewell gathering for him in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on 29 November 1904.
Later years
Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl lived most of his later years in Cairo until his death on 21 January 1914. During his final years, he also visited BeirutBeirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
and Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
. Abu'l-Fadl was in Egypt when `Abdu'l-Bahá visited Egypt in August 1910, and he stayed near `Abdu'l-Bahá in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
in mid 1911. Near the end of 1912, Abu'l-Fadl started to become ill, and Aqa Muhammad-Taqi Isfahani was able to move Abu'l-Fadl to his house in Cairo, where he remained until his death on 21 January 1914.
After his death, `Abdu'l-Bahá gave a eulogy which can be found in Bahá'í Proofs. Moojan Momen, a Bahá'í historian, states that Abu'l-Fadl possessed a critical mind, and had a complete devotion to the Bahá'í Faith. Momen states that Abu'l-Fadl's writings "show a keen understanding of modern currents of thought remarkable in a man who only knew oriental languages." and was able to apply the Bahá'í teachings to a wide range of different issues.
As an author
Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl wrote on a wide range of Bahá'í subjects, including extensive amounts of material about the proofs of Bahá'u'lláh's mission. He was consistently praised by the central figures of the Bahá'í Faith and Shoghi EffendiShoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
. His papers and letters include a wide range of presentations of the Bahá'í Faith for those of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and Jewish backgrounds, and his concepts in the presentation of the Bahá'í Faith continue to be important today. After his death, his papers, including several unfinished works, were taken to Ashqabat, where his nephew lived; many of these papers were, however, lost during the Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
.
`Abdu'l-Bahá
`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
once wrote, referring to The Brilliant Proof:
- "His Honour Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl has written a treatise answering the criticisms of a London preacher. Each one of you should have a copy. Read, memorize and reflect upon it. Then, when accusations and criticisms are advanced by those unfavourable to the Cause, you will be well armed."
Publications
- Sharh-i-Ayat-i-Mu'arrakhih (In Explanation of Massacre Verses that Prophesy Dates): Written in 1888, the work discusses the date of the prophecies concerning the coming of the Promised OneMessiahA messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
in the scriptures of IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, ChristianityChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, JudaismJudaismJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and ZoroastrianismZoroastrianismZoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...
.
- Risalih Ayyubiyyih (Treatise addressed to Ayyub): Written in 1887, concerning prophecies relating to the Promised One in the TorahTorahTorah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
.
- Faslu'l-Khitab (The Decisive Utterance): A large book written in Samarqand in 1892; among its subjects, it discusses the traditions in Shia Islam regarding the persecution of the Promised One. The book was written in reply to an attack by an Adharbayjan Shia cleric. No known copy of the work exists.
- Fara'id (The Peerless Gems): A book written in 1898 in reply to an attack on the Kitáb-i-ÍqánKitáb-i-ÍqánThe Kitáb-i-Íqán is one of many books held sacred by followers of the Bahá'í Faith; it is their primary theological work. One Bahá'í scholar states that it can be regarded as the "most influential Koran commentary in Persian outside the Muslim world," because of its international audience. It is...
and published in Cairo. Generally considered Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl's greatest work.
- Al-Duraru'l-Bahiyyih (The Shining Pearls): Published in 1900, it is a collection of essays on the history of the Bahá'í Faith. Since it was wrriten in ArabicArabic languageArabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, it was responsible for making the Bahá'ís known in Egypt. It has been translated by Juan ColeJuan ColeJohn Ricardo I. "Juan" Cole is an American scholar, public intellectual, and historian of the modern Middle East and South Asia. He is Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan. As a commentator on Middle Eastern affairs, he has appeared in print and on...
as Miracles and Metaphors
- Risaliyyih Iskandaraniyyih: Published along with Al-Duraru'l-Bahiyyih, the paper provides proofs for Muhammad'sMuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
prophethood from Christian and Jewish scripture. It also explains the verse from the Qur'anQur'anThe Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
"Then it is ours to explain it."
- The Kitab-i-Ibrar (Book of Justification): While no manuscript of this book currently exists, it was referred to in Abu'l-Fadl's other works and seems to have dealt with the CovenantCovenant of Bahá'u'lláhCovenant in the Bahá'í Faith refers to two separate binding agreements between God and man. A Covenant in the religious sense is a binding agreement made between God and man wherein a certain behaviour is required of man and in return God guarantees certain blessings...
.
- Al-Hujaju'l-Bahá'íyyih (The Bahá'í Proofs): A book written while in the United States, which explains and defends the Bahá'í Faith from a Christian point of view.
- Burhan-i-Lami` (The Brilliant Proof): Published, along with an English translation, in Chicago in 1912, the paper responds to a Christian clergyman's questions. Republished as
- Kashfu'l-Ghita (The Uncovering of Error): After E.G. Browne published the Nuqtatu'l-Kaf, which was hostile to the Bahá'í Faith, Abu'l-Fadl began working on refutations of that book. When he learned that other Bahá'í scholars had also started working on refutations that had reached an advanced stage, he suspended his writing. He never completed the book, and when his papers were sent to his cousin in Ashkhabad, his cousin worked on completing the book, of which 132 of 438 pages are written by Abu'l-Fadl.
Letters
In addition to the books that Abu'l-Fadl wrote, he also wrote a number of shorter works in response to questions addressed to him; some of these letters have been published in a number of compilations:- Majmu`iy-i-Rasa'il-i-Hadrat-i-Abi'l-Fadl: Published in Cairo in 1920 and contains 16 letters and treatises.
- Rasa'il wa Raqa'im: Published in Persian in Tehran in 1977, and contains 23 treatises and 59 letters. Some of the treatises from this work have been translated by Juan Cole into English in Letters & Essays including:
- Two treatises on the Covenant: Published in 1911 in Cairo consisting of two treatises written in 1899 and 1896 which deal with proofs from the BibleBibleThe Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and the Qur'anQur'anThe Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
, and about the actions of Covenant-breakerCovenant-breakerA Covenant-breaker or the act of Covenant-breaking is a term used by Bahá'ís to refer to a particular form of heresy. Being declared a Covenant-breaker by the head of the Faith — which since 1963 refers to the elected nine-member Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Bahá'ís....
s. - Risalih Iskandariyyih (Treatise of Alexander): Written in response to a request by E.G. Browne to write about the life of Bahá'u'lláh among other things. The letter was named in honour of Alexander Tumanski, who had also requested information about Bahá'u'lláh.
- Al-Bab wa'l-Babiyyih (The Báb and Bábísm): A brief history of the Bahá'í Faith commissioned by the editor of the Egyptian magazine Al-Muqtataf after the assassination of Nasser al-Din Shah.
- Two treatises on the Covenant: Published in 1911 in Cairo consisting of two treatises written in 1899 and 1896 which deal with proofs from the Bible
- A treatise regarding Bahá'u'lláh's ancestry which traces it to the last SasanianSassanid EmpireThe Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
king, Yazdgerd IIIYazdgerd IIIYazdegerd III or Yazdgerd III was the twenty-ninth and last king of the Sassanid dynasty of Iran and a grandson of Khosrau II . His father was Shahryar, whose mother was Miriam, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Maurice...
. Part of this text was translated by H.M. Balyuzi and published in his book Eminent Bahá'ís in the time of Bahá'u'lláh.