On the occasion of November 14th, recognized as the International Day of Books, Reading, and Librarianship, it is important to know that Baha’i leaders have prohibited Persian-speaking followers from accessing a translation of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the central book of Baháʼu’lláh’s laws and ordinances.
Shoghi Effendi, the third leader of the Baháʼí Faith, stated that Arabic works—particularly the Kitáb-i-Aqdas— should not be translated into Persian.
(Payam-e-Asemani, November 1988, Second Edition, Vol. 1, p. 109)
The prohibition of translating a sacred text contradicts both the pursuit of truth and the dictates of reason.
