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The Bahai Faith originated in 19th century Iran. Since the early days of its inception and up until today, in Iran the followers of the faith have been subject to persecution, carried out under different pretexts. A study of polemical anti-Bahai writings demonstrates that the accusations against Bahais evolved and in fact changed over time. The portrayal of the Bahais as “enemies” was reshaped and adapted time and again to current needs and ideological agendas. Anti-Bahaism, it is argued in this paper, is part of the contemporary political discourse and mirrors the different stages of political developments in Iran over the past one and a half centuries. Anti-Bahai polemics, while in general wholly unreliable as a source for Bahai doctrine and history, serve as a vivid example for mechanisms employed in the “othering” of minority groups and the preparation for their physical persecution.

Hadrat-i Bb, Nusrat'u'llh Muhammad-Husain (1995) Dundas, Ont.: Institute for Baha'i Studies in Persian. 1038 pp. + English preface (1 p.); 108 illustrations. ISBN 1896193102.Ahd-i Al: Zindign-yi Hadrat-i Bb, Abu'l-Qsim Afnn (2000) Oxford: Oneworld. ISBN 1851682254. 16 + 654 pp. including index and 26 illustrations.Baha'i, Margit Warburg, [2003] Studies in Contemporary Religions, Salt Lake City: Signature Books. 91 pp. ISBN 1560851694 (pbk). Price: $12.95The Baha'i Faith in America, William Garlington (2005) Westport, CT: Praeger. Distributed by Kalimt Press as volume 21 in its Studies in the Babi and Baha'i Religions series. xxiii + 221 pp. including select bibliography and index. (hbk Praeger) 0-275-98413-3 $39.95; (pbk Kalimt) ISBN 0-275-98991-7 $29.95Rumi: Past and Present, East and West the Life, Teachings and poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi. Franklin D. Lewis, 2000 Oxford: Oneworld Publications, xxvii + 686 pp. ISBN 1851682147. Price: (hbk) 26.99, US$35.95 (Winner in 2000 of the British-Kuwait Friendship Society Prize in Middle Eastern Studies administered by the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies)

Although the Bah āʾī Faith is generally referred to as an independent religion, its relationship with Islam is complex. This chapter is restricted to one particular topic, that is, Bah āʾ Allāh's view on one of the most central features of Twelver Shīʿī theology, namely belief in the physical existence of a Twelfth Imām who has gone into occultation and who will rise one day as the Mahdī. The chapter then draws conclusions on how Bahāʾ Allāh viewed the Faith he was born into, that is, Twelver-Shīʿism. It also sheds new light on the question of whether the Bahāʾī Faith can be adequately described as a "Mahdist" movement, and if so, in what sense and to what extent the new religion deviates from its "predecessor", that is, Twelver Shīʿism. Quite notably, Bah āʾ Allāh declared all earlier prophecies "fulfilled", and did not raise new expectations. Keywords: Bahāʾ Allāh; Islam; Mahdist movement; Twelver Shīʿī

Ṣadr al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm Shīrāzī (d.1640), better known as 'Ṣadr al-Mutaʾallihm' or 'Mullā Ṣadrā', is generally considered one of the most popular and influential thinkers of Shiite Islam. The first paragraph of the Sharḥ ḥadīth al-kanz al-makhfī repeats or rather summarizes the problem raised by the addressee. The question essentially deals with the well-known philosophical problem of the pre-existence of creation. The reply begins with the author's statement that he received what is to follow through direct inspiration from God. The author begins the actual commentary by stating that there are different possible solutions to the problem. Out of the four replies, the first and the third deal with the outward form of the text and explain the semantics of certain keywords. However, the second and fourth replies draw on concepts which lie outside the text of the ḥadīth itself and are of a mystical and philosophical nature. Keywords: God; Mullā Ṣadrā; philosophical nature; Sharḥ ḥadīth al-kanz al-makhfī ; Shiite Islam

This book is an introduction to the literature and thought of the founders of the Shaykhiyya and the Babiyyah, two important religious movements in nineteenth-century Iran. The first part is an overview of the thought of Ahmad al-Ahsa'i and Kazim ar-Rashti, the progenitors of the Shaykhiyya, with a focus on their religious and philosophical teachings. The second part is an analysis of the early writings of 'Ali-Muhammad Shirazi (the Bab), the initiator of the Babiyyah. It contains a survey of major concepts found in his works and addresses issues that have generated debate in the past, particularly the exact nature of his religious claim and its reception by his contemporaries. Finally, the book contains an edition of the Bab's Treatise on Specific Prophethood. This is the first scholarly edition of a work by the Bab to be published in the original language.