Exploring the Kitáb-i-Aqdas - by Omid Ghaemmaghami & Shahin Vafai Hardcover

About the Book

The first comprehensive study of the Bahá'ís holy text, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, complete with extensive annotations

Book Synopsis

The Kitáb-i-Aqdas is considered the most important and sacred text of the Bahá'í Faith, a religion with some eight million adherents, found in nearly every country of the world. It sets out the laws, teachings, and institutions that shape and influence individual and collective life for members of the Bahá'í community. Despite the Kitáb-i-Aqdas's significance, it has not been extensively researched. Exploring the Kitáb-i-Aqdas: The Laws and Teachings of the Bahá'í Faith now offers a comprehensive academic study of the text.

This important new publication explores and analyzes the significance and history of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas; its language, style, and translation; and its theological and spiritual foundations, including its conceptions of God, religion, and human beings. The book, moreover, examines the Kitáb-i-Aqdas's provisions for succession, interpretation, and administration within the Bahá'í religion; its devotional and other personal laws; its ordinances for promoting unity; its perspectives on justice and law; and its addresses to the world's political and religious leaders. Academically rigorous yet eminently clear and accessible, Exploring the Kitáb-i-Aqdas is an essential read for students of religion and Middle East studies.

Review Quotes

A landmark, scholarly introduction and guide to the Baha'i faith's holy book, Ghaemmaghami and Vafai's impressively researched work contextualizes the sacred text within the corpus of its founder's writings and those of his successors, explains and clarifies its language, elucidates and expands on each of its topics, and provides an overarching view of its contents. An indispensable resource for a deeper understanding of the Kitab-i-Aqdas and its place in the Baha'i religion.

By exploring the history and contents of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Omid Ghaemmaghami and Shahin Vafai have expanded our knowledge of the laws and teachings of the Bahá'í Faith. Such a work, perfectly grounded in textual and intellectual history, is a major step in 19th century Near Eastern studies. With impressive skill it makes clear the complex formation of belief and law in a new-born religious community.


This book is a valuable contribution to the fields of Bahá'í and religious studies. It gives a thorough and accessible overview of the history, contents and style of the Kitáb-i Aqdas, situating it within Bahá'í theology. This is all the more important because, despite being the central text of the Bahá'í faith, the Kitáb-i Aqdas has been woefully under-researched so far.

About the Author

Omid Ghaemmaghami is Associate Professor of Middle East Studies at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton, USA. He is the author of works in Islamic, Bábí, and Bahá'í studies.

Shahin Vafai is an attorney with nearly three decades of experience in law. He is the co-author of a legal treatise on appellate practice and of works in Bahá'í studies.