Introduction
Baha’i Shenasi (Baha’i Studies) Quarterly Journal of the brilliant results of five years of scientific and historical research at the Baha’i Research Institute.
In line with its scientific goals, the Baha’i Research Institute has been conducting historical and scientific activities on issues related to the Baha’i Faith for the past five years with the help and participation of researchers, scholars, and university professors. Baha’i Shenasi (Baha’i Studies) is presented to those who are interested in researching the Baha’i Faith, as well as individuals believing in the Baha’i Faith in 20 issues.
In each issue of the quarterly there is an article about one of the non-Iranian or non-Muslim individuals and intellectuals who had been attracted to the Baha’is for many years, but later, with the clarification of deviant angles and hidden history, the Baha’is separated from it and left, along with their photos are introduced on the cover of the quarterly.
Each issue also features interviews with prominent professors, historians, and writers on their researches, studies, and experiences with the Baha’i Faith.
In the other part of the quarterly, the books of Baha’i leaders are reviewed. Numerous and new news and analyzes related to the Baha’is as well as the analysis of the new messages of the House of Justice are among the contents of these quarterly magazines. At the beginning of each quarterly, an article is written on the occasion of one of the Islamic days and occasions of that chapter.
By participating in the Tehran International Book Fair, these quarterly magazines have been well received by many visitors, including some free-thinking Baha’is.
In addition to the Persian language quarterly, so far two issues have been prepared in English and also at the end of each quarterly, the abstracts of Persian articles are translated into English and Arabic.
In order to know the contents of these quarterly magazines, their table of contents in two sections from No. 1 to 10 and from No. 11 to 21 is presented to the interested parties as follows.
The first Edition of Baha’i Shenasi Quarterly Periodical Was Published.
The table of contents are following:
Editorial: The Eighth Hazrat
Articles:
- Why Baha’i Shenasi
- Razavi expression of Mahdavi rule
- A look on Ficicchia
- The view of Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar to the invitation of Seyyed Ali Mohammad Báb
- The analysis of Ridván message 2016
- A look at the second and fifth of February UHJ message
- The Baha’is population from the claim up to reality
- The method of understanding verses and narratives in Iqan Book
- The non-educated prophets
The Joint 2th. And 3th.Edition Of Baha’i Shenasi Quarterly Periodical Was Published
The table of contents are including:
Editorial: The cloud of Mercy
- Fatima, the defender of the sanctuary of Alavi province
- The speake of the responsible management
- The mahdavi letter
Interview
- Interview with Dr. Rasoul Jaafarian
- Response to Touraj Amini’s critique of Baha’i Shenasi’s views on Francesco Ficicchia
- From kindness of Mehrnameh to Mehrnameh of Baha’i Community
- Printed matter fair , achivements and resualts
- The letter to Makhmalbaf
- A look on the talk of Morteza Esmaeel Puor with Dr. Armin Eshraghi
Researches:
- The documents about the position of Sobh -e- Azal in the view of Bab
- Tsunami of censorship in the Baha’i Faith
- Baha’ism in the view point of critics and the Baha’is intellectual
- Study of the internal paradoxes among statments and behaviors of Seyyed Bab in the subject of Emam Zaman (a.u)
- The challenges of the meaning of modern Qeyamat in the Baha’i Faith
- Critique of the need to renew the resurrection of the prophets based on the requirements of the time
- The unity of humman world or Baha’is?
- Study of comparative Muslim’s idea and Baha’is on Hidden Emam
The 4th. Edition Of Baha’i Shenasi Quarterly Periodical Was Released.
The table of contents are following:
- Baha’i socio-economic development activities are a cover for Baha’i religious propaganda
- Challenges of knowing Baha’ism as a divine religion in new era
- An answer to Turaj Amini’s writing about the article of Ighan Book
- Official organization of Babis on the time of Mirza Yahya Sobh-e- Azal’staying in Baghdad
Interview
- The Baha’i Faith through the views of Baha’i critics and intellectuals: (Part II) Juan Cole
- An incursion propaganda for the 200th anniversary of the birthday of Bahá’u’lláh
- Terrorist events in Tehran and the Baha’i Community reaction to/for this
- A look on the documentary “Soil, Blossom, Fire”
Researches:
- The challenge of leadership in Baha’i Community after the death of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
- The horizons of the Prophet
- Fundamental beliefs, a new look to basis of belief
- Elysian science and Mahdavi knowledge
- Study of the reasons of the legitimacy of Bab and Bahá’u’lláh Faith
- Study of the reasons of equality Man and Woman rights
The 5th. Edition Of Baha’i Shenasi Quarterly Periodical Was Released.
The table of contents are following:
Editorial: The Dawn
- The Spring
- The Yousof of Kanaani and the Yousof of Fatemi
- Emamat is the continuation of divine leadership
News:
- A look at the article of Erfan Sabeti on BBC
- A look at Baha’i organization leaders’ freedom from prison
- A look at the publication of new book in the Baha’i research’s region
- A contemplation \ reflection on the reason for the boycott of Morteza Ismailpour by the Universal House of Justice
- Baha’is of Iran, the hostage of Universal House of Justice
- Challenges of Baha’i Research in the present time
Researches:
- Karen Bacquet, women in Baha’i Institute
- The complete context letter of Mr. Iqan Shahidi from Iranian Baha’is to UHJ
- Study the comparative position of miracle in divine religions and Baha’i Faith
- Baha’ism and the problem of denial existence of heavenly class
- Narratives of killing Baha’is by Azalis
The 6th. Edition Of Baha’i Shenasi Quarterly Periodical Was Released.
The table of contents:
Editorial: The Mahdavi Government
News:
- Magnification the character of Tahereh Qurratu’l-Ayn’s
- Participating in the 31th Tehran International Book Fair
- A report of Orumieh Book Fair
- A news of American Baha’is: The death of Senator Mac Kin and the picture of kavian Sadeghzadeh with him
- A news of American Baha’is: Randolph Dobbs
- The puzzle of Yar Shater
Interview
- Interview with Professor Oliver Scharbrodt: The crititcs’ problems in reconsideration of formal study of the Baha’is history
- Interview with Miss. Zeinab Roz (Suzan) Thomali and the reasons of converting from Baha’i ism to Islam
- The Baha’i Faith through the views of Baha’i critics and intellectuals: Sen McGlinn (Baha’i critic)
Researches:
- Determining the successors by the divine prophets and the Baha’i leaders
- Divisions and disagreements in Baha’ism
The Joint 7th. And 8th.Edition Of Baha’i Shenasi Quarterly Periodical Was Published
The abstracts of contents are per following:
- Appreciating Sazandegi Newspaper that printed the news of publishing “Baha’iShenasi” Periodical with the title of “A critical approach to Baha’i Sect” and welcomed its 250 pages publishing.
- The article “Continuation of Guidance” about verses and narratives which indicate that divine guidance has continued by 12 innocent successors (Imams) of The Last Prophet Mohammad (pbuh).
- On the news line addresses “the issue of funerary system for Bahá’ís” and the explicit controversy of Bahá’í commandments on this issue that becomes obvious for any reasonable person.
- “The interpretation of 9th November, 2018 message by UHJ” (Beit-ol-Adl).
- “A report about the translation of Agdas Book” to one of the subsidiary languages of Philippines that makes scholars surprised while it is not yet translated to Persian.
- Criticizing “the Gate”, a movie by American Bahá’ís, as “Lie gate”.
- A documentary interview with Seyyed Megdad Nabavi Razavi is presented titled as “The relationship between teachings of Mirza Hussein Ali Bahá’u’lláh and the doctrine of Mohammad Ali Báb”. One of the conclusions that the reader may come to is that “Man yazharohollah – the One whom will be manifested by God” cannot be Bahá’u’lláh himself and Bahá’u’lláh succession is essentially problematic regarding the reasons mentioned in the interview. The other controversies in Bahá’ís which are discussed in this interview with the senior expert of Islam History are also interesting. There is a paper of this researcher and author of “Tanbih-ol-Naemin” in Arabic titled as “Tahlil an majazere-el-bahaiin lelazalliyin fi bedayat davit Bahá’u’lláh” at the end of this volume and its Persian translation was presented in “Baha’i Shenasi” Periodical, Vol. 5.
- Denis Martin Mac Eoin, a Baháʼí writer, researcher and critique who converted from Baháʼí sm after 15 years is also introduced. He believes that the Baha’i Baháʼí leaders are continuously dealing with purging the Baháʼí texts and changing and distorting its history. He also objects the absence of women in Baháʼí leadership, as well as the innocence of Baháʼí Leaders of UHJ. He says: “any educated person with views different from Baháʼísm Leadership faces with Baháʼís cruelty and dismissal and boycott. Reading this educated thinker’s words about Baháʼí Faith and his critics of some of Edward Brown’s memoirs about primary Bahá’ís is interesting. These are the issues that no dogmatic Bahá’í is willing to autopsy and, instead, makes any liberal Bahá’í think about vanity of Bahá’ísm and rationally warns.
- “A brief biography of Abdul Hussein Ayati’s life” and facts of his conversion to Baháʼí Faith and re-conversion from it to Islam is presented.
- Introducing Juan Cole’s (an intellectual who converted from Bahá’ísm) entitled “Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires”
- Texts of two letters from Mr. Hasan Momtaz Sarvestani to Yaran Iran and Beit-ol-Adl titled as “Unanswered questions on Bahá’í criticism”.
- A research on the challenge in Bahá’í Leadership titled as “critique and study of Mason Remey’s claims and reasons”.
- The Uprising of Bábís in Zanjan.
Each sentence and word of this journal opens a door for Baha’i freethinkers of any scale to study and find the truth explicitly; either following it or turning from it.
The Quarterly Baha’i Shenasi (Research) No. 9 Was Published
The table of contents of this issue is per following:
Editorial:
- Spring Life
- Mahdavi conversation
News:
- Participating in 32th. International Tehran’s Book Exhibition
- Participating in Quran and Etrat Exhibition
- Confiscation of Nowruz
- Message of Universal House of Justice (Beit-ol-Adl) of Rezvan’s Eid: A declaration of invasion to the Islamic sanctities of the Iranian people
- Prayer at dawn
- Ghods Day
- Destruction of holy monuments
- Interview with Dr. Abdulrahim Govahi
- Bahá’ísm in the point of view of Bahá’í critics and intellectuals
Articles:
- A brief description of Hassan Niko’s life
- Introduction of Surah Yusuf’s Commentary (or interpretation) Book
- Decoding the untimely death of Shoghi Effendi
- Non-interference in politics from claims to reality
- Dowry in the Baháʼí Faith and equality between Men and Women
- The Causes of Conscience Continuation of the Law to the Universal House of Justice
The Issue No.10 Of The Quarterly Baha’i Shenasi (Baha’i Research) Was Published
The table of contents of this issue is per following:
Editorial:
The Sun in 7 narration (Imam Hussein’s life)
On the line of news:
- Bahá’í preacher against nationalism
- Conference of Iranian Culture
- 2ooth anniversary of Báb’s Birthday in Tambach
- Ghadir and Bahá’í sources
- Arab American Conference
- Bahá’ísm from the viewpoint of Mohit Tabatabai (An interview with Dr. M. Pahlavan)
- The Baháʼí Faith the viewpoint of the Bahá’í Critics and Intellectuals. (Part 7: Frederick Glaysher)
Articles:
- The process of propagation by Bábís in Karbala
- A criticism on the justification of two Separate Divine manifestation appearances and two Religions in a short interval
- Resurrection from the perspective of the Baháʼí Faith
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the scientific theory of mirrors
- The Bábí Concept of Holy War (By Denis Mac Eoin): a translation
*****
To order paper copy, contact the institute’s office:
021-22898425
To get the digital version, follow the link below:
