Baha'i Faith Source Guide
Baha'i texts belong in the comparison map because they make explicit claims about progressive revelation, unity of religion, world order, prophecy, and how earlier scriptures should be read.
Summary
Baha'i source coverage should focus on the movement's own central writings, not only outside descriptions. The key comparison themes are progressive revelation, unity of humanity, unity of religions, prophetic fulfillment, covenant, law, and world order.
Primary source map
- Kitab-i-Aqdas: law, institutions, worship, and the shape of the Baha'i dispensation.
- Kitab-i-Iqan: interpretation of prophecy, symbolic fulfillment, and the unity of earlier religions.
- Hidden Words: short devotional teachings on soul, love, detachment, justice, and divine address.
- Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah: thematic selections across major writings.
- Writings of the Bab, Abdu'l-Baha, Shoghi Effendi, and the Universal House of Justice: interpretive and institutional layers.
What to compare first
Compare Baha'i progressive revelation against Quranic prophecy, Christian fulfillment claims, LDS restoration claims, Hindu avatar language, and Buddhist renewal traditions. The strongest comparisons come from letting each tradition define revelation in its own vocabulary before looking for parallels.
Source status
The official Baha'i Reference Library is public and authoritative. The site should link and summarize until permission for full display is resolved.
- 1857-1858
Hidden Words
Short Arabic and Persian devotional passages revealed in Baghdad.
- 1861-1862
Kitab-i-Iqan