The Dispensation of the Bab

About: This book relies on over 600 passages from the Writings of the Báb and presents a panoramic view of His teachings that highlight His position as an independent Messenger of God. The fundamentals of the Revelation of the Báb are examined through His own writings as well as through the elucidations of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi. The book also deals with the continuity between the teachings of the Báb and the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh from a doctrinal and legislative perspective, emphasising the Figure of He Whom God shall make manifest. It explores in detail the conditions in which He Whom God shall make manifest (Bahá’u’lláh) would appear after the death of the Báb.

At this stage in the evolution of the Bahá’í Faith, knowledge of the teachings of the Báb among most Bahá’ís is limited to a few vague generalities which do not adequately represent the broad range of the writings of the Báb. This book is an attempt to produce a systematic presentation of the teachings of the Báb insofar as this can be done from the translations presently available. In addition, Boris Handal looks at the prophecies relating to Bahá’u’lláh in the Bábí scriptures and the extent to which the Bab’s laws have been carried forward into the Bahá’i Revelation. We are still a long way from a full understanding of the Dispensation of the Báb but this book will help Bahá’ís take us a further step forward along that path. [M. Momen]

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