Nader Saiedi

In 1844 a charismatic young Persian merchant from Shiraz, known as the B b, electrified the Sh 'ih world by claiming to be the return of the Hidden Twelfth Imam of Islamic prophecy. But contrary to traditional expectations of apocalyptic holy war, the B b maintained that the spiritual path was not one of force and coercion but love and compassion. The movement he founded was the precursor of the Bah ' Faith, but until now the B b's own voluminous writings have been seldom studied and often misunderstood. Gate of the Heart offers the first in-depth introduction to the writings of the B b.Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the author examines the B b's major works in multifaceted context, explaining the unique theological system, mystical world view, and interpretive principles they embody as well as the rhetorical and symbolic uses of language through which the B b radically transforms traditional concepts. Arguing that the B b movement went far beyond an attempt at an Islamic Reformation, the author explores controversial issues and offers conclusions that will compel a re-evaluation of some prevalent assumptions about the B b's station, claims, and laws.Nader Saiedi's meticulous and insightful analysis identifies the key themes, terms, and concepts that characterize each stage of the B b's writings, unlocking the code of the B b's mystical lexicon. Gate of the Heart is a subtle and profound textual study and an essential resource for anyone wishing to understand the theological foundations of the Bah ' religion and the B b's significance in religious history.

As the Bah ' community becomes an ever more familiar figure on the international landscape, attention has been increasingly attracted to the teachings of its founder, Bah 'u'll h. In this groundbreaking study, Nader Saiedi addresses key controversies and problems in the current academic literature about Bah 'u'll h's writings. Saiedi approaches the subject from sociological, historical, philosophical, spiritual, and theological perspectives and draws on the vast body of previously untranslated original Persian and Arabic texts. Analyzing selected works that represent the three stages of Bah 'u'll h's revelation, he argues for the conceptual continuity of Bah 'u'll h's teaching throughout His life, from the inception of His mission in Tehran's Siyah-Chal dungeon to the last books He wrote in exile in Ottoman Palestine.Logos and Civilization is an original and probing investigation of the writings of Bah 'u'll h, whose visionary insights into the spiritual, social, economic, and political dimensions of humanity in the context of globalization have only begun to attract the attention they merit.