Sources for studying
the life and writings of Abdu'l-Baha
last updated November 1 2001
General overviews of the life, character, or teachings of Abdu'l-Baha
Amin Banani: "The Writings of Abdu'l-Bahá," from World Order 6:1 (Fall 1971), pages 67-74
Anonymous: "Editorial: Abdu'l-Bahá Abbás," from World Order 6:1 (Fall 1971), pages 3-5
Marzieh Gail: "Abdu'l-Bahá: Portrayals East and West," from World Order 6:1 (Fall 1971), pages 29-46, reprinted in Dawn over Mt. Hira and Other Essays (George Ronald, 1976), pages 194-218, online at http://bahai-library.com/essays/portrayals.html
Jessyca Russell Gaver, "The Center of the Covenant–Abdu'l-Baha," chapter 4/pages 77-103, in The Baha'i Faith: Dawn of a New Day (Hawthorne Books, 1967)
Moojan Momen, "Encyclopedia article on Abdu'l-Baha," online at http://bahai-library.com/encyclopedia/abdulbaha.html
Shoghi Effendi, "Abdu'l-Baha," section 3 of Dispensation of Baha'u'llah, reprinted in World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, 131-39, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/shoghieffendi/wob
Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By 240-43, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/shoghieffendi/gpb
George Townshend, "Abdu'l-Baha: A Study of a Christ-like Character," in The Mission of Baha'u'llah (first edition 1952) pages 46-55
George Townshend, "The Letters of Abdu'l-Baha," in The Mission of Baha'u'llah (1952) pages 77-87, online at http://bahai-library.com/essays/letters.ab.html.
Allan Ward, "Abdu'l-Baha," in World Order 4:4 (summer 1970), pages 24-31
Various, Lights of Guidance provides a variety of notes on 'Abdu’l-Bahá, 485-89.
Outlines and study guides of Abdu'l-Baha's writings
Secret of Divine Civilization
Roger Coe, "Expanded Outline of The Secret of Divine Civilization" (unpublished), online at http://bahai-library.com/study/outline.html
Barbara Casterline, "The Education of Nations: A book review of Secret of Divine Civilization," in Bahá'í News September 1972, online at http://bahai-library.com/reviews/casterline.html
Habib Riazati, "The Secret of Divine Civilization study questions," (unpublished), online at http://bahai-library.com/study/sdc.questions.html
Nader Saiedi, "An Introduction to 'Abdul-Baha's The Secret of Divine Civilization" (unpublished), online at http://converge.landegg.edu/saiedi5.htm
Some Answered Questions
Brett Zamir, Some Answered Questions overview and outline (unpublished), online at http://bahai-library.com/study/saq
Traveler's Narrative
Brett Zamir, Correlation of passages from Traveler's Narrative with God Passes By and the Dawn-Breakers (unpublished), online at http://bahai-library.com/study/travelers.narrative.html
The early years, 1844-1892
overviews
Kazem Kazemzadeh and Firuz Kazemzadeh: "Five Books about Abdu'l-Bahá," from World Order 6:1 (Fall 1971).
Annamarie Honnold, comp., Vignettes from the Life of Abdu'l-Baha (George Ronald, 1982)
Adib Taherzadeh The Covenant of Baha'u'llah (George Ronald, 1992), chapter 9/pages 135-140, "The relationship of Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha"
early writings
Abdu'l-Baha, trans. and ed. by E.G. Browne, A Traveller's Narrative (Cambridge, 1891), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/tn
Abdu'l-Baha, trans. and introduced by Moojan Momen, "Commentary on ‘I Was a Hidden Treasure’" in Bahá’í Studies Bulletin, 3.4 (Dec. 1985) and online at http://bahai-library.com/provisionals/hidden.treasure.html
historical accounts
Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway (UK Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1940), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/chosen, chapter 11: "Abdu'l-Baha" and "The Bride of Abdu'l-Baha," pages 80-90 and "Abdu'l-Baha in 'Akka," pages 99-104, online at http://bahai-library.com/books/chosen
Anjam Khursheed, The Seven Candles of Unity: The Story of Abdu'l-Baha in Edinburgh (UK Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1991), chapter 1: "Abdu'l-Baha in the lifetime of his Father"
Ruhiyyih Rabbani (Khanum), The Priceless Pearl (UK Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1969), chapter 1: "The Childhood and Youth of Shoghi Effendi"
David S. Ruhe, Door of Hope: A Century of the Baha'i Faith in the Holy Land (George Ronald, 1983), chapters 7-13/pages 26-76
David S. Ruhe, Robe of Light: The Persian Years of Baha'u'llah (George Ronald, 1994), 57-8, 142-43.
Universal House of Justice, Century of Light, pages 7-13 (section on the Secret of Divine Civilization), online at http://bahai-library.com/published.uhj/century.light
Center of the Covenant, 1892-1910
on the Baha'i community
Gary L. Morrison, "Abdu'l-Baha and The Early American Baha'is," in World Order 6:3 (Spring 1972), pages 31-44.
Peter Smith, "The American Baha'i Community 1894-1917," in Studies in Babi and Baha'i History vol. 1
Robert Stockman, The Baha'i Faith in American vol. 1: Origins, 1892-1900 (US Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1985) and The Baha'i Faith in America vol. 2: Early Expansion, 1900-1912 (George Ronald, 1995); summarized in "The American Baha'i Identity 1894-1921," in Baha'i Studies Bulletin 6:4-7:2 (1992)
on the Center of the Covenant
Baha'u'llah, "Kitab-i-Ahd (Book of the Covenant)," in Tablets of Baha'u'llah Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas, pages 219-223, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/bahaullah/tb/13.html
Lowell Johnson, The Eternal Covenant (Baha'i Publishing Trust of South Africa, 1986
Adib Taherzadeh, "Kitab-i-Aqdas 5: The Covenant of Baha'u'llah," in Revelation of Baha'u'llah vol. 3: 1868/77, chapter 18/pages 371-399
Adib Taherzadeh The Covenant of Baha'u'llah (George Ronald, 1992), chapters 10-20/pages 141-244
historical accounts and pilgrims' notes
R. Jackson Armstrong-Ingram, Music, Devotions, and the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar (Kalimat Press, 1987), pages 11-20 passim, 123-74 passim
Anne Gordon Atkinson et al., Green Acre on the Piscataqua (Green Acre Baha'i School Council, 1991), pages 29-46 passim
Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway (UK Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1940), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/chosen
Thornton Chase, In Galilee (Kalimat Press, 1985; first published 1908), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/galilee.html
Ella Goodall Cooper and Helen S. Goodall, Daily Lessons received at Akká, January 1908 (US Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1979)
Marzieh Gail, Summon Up Remembrance (George Ronald, 1987), passim
Julia M. Grundy, Ten Days in the Light of Akka (US Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1979; first published 1907), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/tendays
Mirza Abu'l-Fadl Gulpaygani, trans. Juan Cole, Letters and Essays 1886-1913 (Kalimat Press, 1985), "On Meeting Abdu'l-Baha," pages 87-91
May Maxwell, "An Early Pilgrimage" (first published 1917), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/pilgrimage.maxwell.html
Velda Piff Metelmann, Lua Getsinger: Herald of the Covenant (George Ronald, 1997), pages 1-122 passim
Myron H. Phelps, The Master in Akká, originally published as The Life and Teachings of Abbas Effendi (Kalimat, 1985)
Nathan Rutstein, Corinne True: Faithful Handmaiden of Abdu'l-Baha (George Ronald, 1987), pages 37-92 passim
Nathan Rutstein, He Loved and Served: The Story of Curtis Kelsey (George Ronald, 1982), pages 1-100 passim
Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By 244-78, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/shoghieffendi/gpb
Robert Stockman, Thornton Chase, the First American Baha'i (US Baha'i Publishing Trust, 2001); online in early draft form at http://bahai-library.com/books/t.chase; see also field notes at http://bahai-library.com/resources/chicago.house and http://bahai-library.com/resources/chase.papers
Juliet Thompson, "A Glimpse of the Master," from World Order 6:1 (Fall 1971), pages 47-66
Juliet Thompson, The Diary of Juliet Thompson (Kalimat Press, 1983; first published 1947), 1909/pages 3-146, online at http://bahai-library.com/books
Roy Wilhelm, Stanwood Cobb, and Genevieve L. Coy, In His Presence: Visits to Abdu'l-Baha (Kalimat Press, 1989)
O. Z. Whitehead Some Early Bahá’ís of the West (George Ronald, 1976)
Bruce W. Whitmore, The Dawning Place: The Building of the Temple (US Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1984), pages 28-35 passim
Travels and talks, 1911-1913
overviews
Marzieh Gail: "Abdu'l-Bahá in America," from World Order 10:4 (July 1944), pages 110-119, reprinted in Dawn over Mt. Hira and Other Essays (George Ronald, 1976), pages 184-193
Allan L. Ward, 239 Days: Abdu'l-Baha's Journey in America (US Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1979)
Allan L. Ward, "Abdu'l-Baha: Speaking in America," in World Order 6:2 (Winter 1971-72), pages 38-48
Mirza Mahmud-i-Zarqani, trans. Mohi Sobhani, Mahmud's Diary: The Diary of Mirza Mahmud-i-Zarqani Chronicling Abdu'l-Baha's Journey to America (George Ronald, 1998)
on the Baha'i community
Peter Smith, "The American Baha'i Community 1894-1917," in Studies in Babi and Baha'i History vol. 1
Philip R. Smith, "What Was a Baha'i? Concerns of British Baha'is 1900-1920," in Studies in the Babi and Baha'i Religions vol. 5
specific historical accounts
Elham Afnan, "Abdu'l-Baha and Ezra Pound's Circle," published in the Journal of Baha'i Studies 6:2 (June-Sept. 1994)
Anne Gordon Atkinson et al., Green Acre on the Piscataqua (Green Acre Baha'i School Council, 1991), pages 47-60 passim
Ramona Allen Brown, Memories of Abdu'l-Baha (US Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1980); see also review of same by Firuz Kazemzadeh, "Remembering the Master," in World Order 14:3-4 (Spring/Summer 1980), pages 46-48
Suheil Bushrui and Joe Jenkins, Khalil Gibran: Man and Poet (Oneworld, 1998), 125-26 and 252-55, excerpts online at http://bahai-library.com/excerpts/gibran.bushrui.html
Marion Carpenter Yazdi, Youth in the Vanguard (US Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1982), chapters 2 and 8
Will van den Hoonaard, The Origins of the Bahá’í Faith in Canada, 1898-1948 (), with related material published in World Order, 22.1/2 (Fall 1987 Winter 1987-88), 39-49 and "The Bahá’í Community of Canada: A Case Study in the Transplantation of Non-Western Religious Movements to Western Societies," in Journal of Bahá’í Studies, 7:3 (March-June 1997), 17-42
Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom (multiple editions; first published 1937), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/portals
Anjam Khursheed, The Seven Candles of Unity: The Story of Abdu'l-Baha in Edinburgh (UK Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1991)
Elaine Lacroix-Hopson and Hussain Ahdieh, Abdu'l-Baha in New York: The City of the Covenant (NewVistaDesign, 1999), excerpted online at http://bahainyc.org/presentations/ab
Velda Piff Metelmann, Lua Getsinger: Herald of the Covenant (George Ronald, 1997), pages 123-199 passim
Gayle Morrison, To Move the World: Louis G. Gregory and the Advancement of Racial Unity in America (US Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1982, chapter 6, "Abdu'l-Baha in America"
Agnes Parsons (Richard Hollinger, ed.), Abdu'l-Baha in America: Agnes Parsons' Diary (Kalimat Press, 1996)
Ahang Rabbani, "Abdu'l-Baha's Meeting with Two Prominent Iranians," in World Order 30:1 (Fall 1998), 35-46, online at http://bahai-library.com/articles/qazvini.html
Nathan Rutstein, Corinne True: Faithful Handmaiden of Abdu'l-Baha (George Ronald, 1987), pages 92-109 passim
Juliet Thompson, The Diary of Juliet Thompson (Kalimat Press, 1983; first published 1947), 1911-1912/pages 149-395, online at http://bahai-library.com/books
Bruce W. Whitmore, The Dawning Place: The Building of the Temple (US Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1984), pages 56-69 passim
The War and the Tablets of the Divine Plan, 1914-1921
on the Baha'i community
Philip R. Smith, "What Was a Baha'i? Concerns of British Baha'is 1900-1920," in Studies in the Babi and Baha'i Religions vol. 5
historical accounts
Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway (UK Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1940), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/chosen
Marzieh Gail, Arches of the Years (George Ronald, 1991), passim
Riaz Khadem, Shoghi Effendi in Oxford and Earlier (George Ronald, 1999), chapters 1-6/pages 1-57
George Orr Latimer, The Light of the World [pilgrimage to Haifa in 1919], first published 1920, online at http://bahai-library.com/pilgrims/light.of.world.html
Moojan Momen, "Esslemont's Survey of the Baha'i Community in 1919-1920," serialized in Baha'i Studies Bulletin in five parts, 1:1 (1982)-3:1 (1984)
David S. Ruhe, Door of Hope: A Century of the Baha'i Faith in the Holy Land (George Ronald, 1983), chapters 24-26/pages 145-155
Bahiyyih Randall Winkler, My Pilgrimage to Haifa, November 1919 (US Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1941)
Ali M. Yazdi, Blessing Beyond Measure: Recollections of Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi (US Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1988)
The Will and Testament and the Passing of Abdu'l-Baha, 1921
on the passing of Abdu'l-Baha
Florian and Grace Krug, "Accounts of the Passing of Abdu'l-Baha," in World Order 7:2 (winter 1972-73), pages 38-42
Munirih Khanum, trans. Sammireh Anwar Smith, Munirih Khanum: Memoirs and Letters (Kalimat Press, 1986), "Letter of Lament: 1922 [on the anniversary of the passing of Abdu'l-Baha]," pages 57-62
Ruhiyyih Rabbani (Khanum), The Priceless Pearl (UK Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1969), chapter 2: "The Passing of Abdu'l-Baha and its Immediate Consequences"
Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By 309-24, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/shoghieffendi/gpb
Shoghi Effendi and Lady Blomfield, The Passing of Abdu'l-Bahá (originally published Haifa: Rosenfeld Brothers, 1922, later abridged for World Order 6:1 [Fall 1971], pages 6-18), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/passing.html
Emogene Hoagg, "Letter from Haifa in the Mourning Time," published in <i>World Order</i> 6:2 (Winter 1971-72), 34-37, online at http://bahai-library.com/letters/hoagg.mourning.html
on the Will and Testament
David Hofman, A Commentary on the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha (Baha'i World vol. IX 1940-44, later reprinted by George Ronald, 1982), online at http://bahai-library.com/study/will.hofman.html
Ruhiyyih Khanum, 25 Years of the Guardianship, http://bahai-library.com/books/guardianship.html
Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By pages 325-28, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/shoghieffendi/gpb
Adib Taherzadeh, Child of the Covenant (George Ronald, 2000), chapters 12-26, pages 130-264
Selected Topics
the Station of the Master
Baha'u'llah, "Surih-i-Ghusn," published in Baha'i World Faith (US Baha'i Publishing
Trust, 1966) 204-207, online at http://bahai-library.com/provisionals/tablet.branch.html
Shoghi Effendi, "Abdu'l-Baha," section 3 of Dispensation of Baha'u'llah, reprinted in World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, 131-39, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/shoghieffendi/wob
Robert Stockman, "Appendix 3: Understanding the Station of Abdu'l-Baha," in The Baha'i Faith in America vol. 2: Early Expansion, 1900-1912 (George Ronald, 1995), pages 405-408.
Adib Taherzadeh, "Suriy-i-Ghusn," in Revelation of Baha'u'llah vol. 2: 1863-68, chapter 18/pages 388-96
political teachings
Abdu'l-Baha, trans. and introduced by E. G. Browne, "Three Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha on Persian politics" from The Persian Revolution of 1905 -1909 (Cambridge, 1910), online at http://bahai-library.com/provisionals/revolution.html
Abdu'l-Baha, Secret of Divine Civilization passim; Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Bahá, 132-33, 283-95, both online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/abdulbaha
Abdu'l-Baha, "Tablet to the Hague," first 2/3 published in Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá‘, pp. 296-307 and last 1/3 in The Bahá'í Revelation, pp. 208-19; both assembled online at http://bahai-library.com/provisionals/lawh.hague.html; see discussion in God Passes By page 308, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/shoghieffendi/gpb
John Huddleston, The Search for a Just Society (George Ronald, 1989), pages 403-20, 454-56
Firuz Kazemzadeh, "The Tablet to the Hague," in World Order 4:2 (Winter 1969-70), pages 4-11
Charles Lerche, ed., Toward the Most Great Justice: Elements of Justice in the New World Order (UK Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1996), passim
philosophy and theology
Abdu'l-Baha: select any of the following: Tablet to Auguste Forel; Promulgation of Universal Peace, 326-7; Abdu'l-Baha on Divine Philosophy (online at http://bahai-library.com/books/div.phil); Some Answered Questions passim (select any of the main topics covered, e.g. Christian philosophy, the theology of Spirit and the Manifestations, the relationship between God and man, astrology, reincarnation, etc.)
Abdu'l-Baha, trans. and introduced by Moojan Momen, "Commentary on ‘I Was a Hidden Treasure’" in Bahá’í Studies Bulletin, 3.4 (Dec. 1985) and online at http://bahai-library.com/provisionals/hidden.treasure.html
B. Hoff Conow, A Resurgent Model of the Universe (George Ronald, 1990)
Anjam Khursheed, The Seven Candles of Unity: The Story of Abdu'l-Baha in Edinburgh (UK Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1991), chapter 7: "Theosophy in Scotland," pages 57-61
Julio Savi, The Eternal Quest for God: An Introduction to the Divine Philosophy of `Abdu'l-Bahá (George Ronald, 1989), online at http://bahai-library.com/books/quest
John Paul Vader, For the Good of Mankind: Auguste Forel and the Baha'i Faith (George Ronald, 1984)
evolution
Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, pages 177-199, online at http://bahai-library.com/writings/abdulbaha/saq
Keven Brown, "Are 'Abdu'l-Bahá's views on evolution original?," in Baha'i Studies Review 7 (1997), online at http://bahai-library.com/articles/evolution.html
Keven Brown, ed., Evolution and Baha'i Belief: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Response to Nineteenth-Century Darwinism (Kalimat Press, 2001)
Anjam Khursheed, Science and Religion (Oneworld, 1987), pages 55-98
Eberhard von Kitzing, "The Origin of Complex Order in Biology: `Abdu'l-Bahá's concept of the originality of species compared to concepts in modern biology," from Keven Brown, ed., Evolution and Baha'i Belief (Kalimat Press, 2001), online at http://bahai-library.com/unpubl.articles/originality
Craig Loehle, "On Human Origins: A Bahá’í Perspective," in Journal of Bahá’í Studies, 2.4 (1989-1990); see also his On the Shoulders of Giants, 92-115. Commentary on the article "On Human Origins" by Arash Abizadeh in Journal of Bahá’í Studies, 3.1 (1990-1991), and by Iraj Ayman, Susan Brill, M. K. Rohani, and Craig Loehle in Journal of Baha'i Studies 4:1 (March-June 1991) and 4:3 (1991)
Visual items
Abdu'l-Baha, with Lua Getsinger and Curtis Kelsey, "Diagram of Explanation of Spiritual Evolution as Taught from the Baha'i Teachings," online at http://bahai-library.com/visuals/evolution.txt.html
Abdu'l-Baha's horoscope (birth chart), online at http://bahai-library.com/visuals/horoscope.html
Kahlil Gibran, Portrait of Abdu'l-Baha, online at http://bahai-library.com/excerpts/gibran.bushrui.html