Armin Eschraghi

The Bahai Faith originated in 19th century Iran. Since the early days of its inception and up until today, in Iran the followers of the faith have been subject to persecution, carried out under different pretexts. A study of polemical anti-Bahai writings demonstrates that the accusations against Bahais evolved and in fact changed over time. The portrayal of the Bahais as “enemies” was reshaped and adapted time and again to current needs and ideological agendas. Anti-Bahaism, it is argued in this paper, is part of the contemporary political discourse and mirrors the different stages of political developments in Iran over the past one and a half centuries. Anti-Bahai polemics, while in general wholly unreliable as a source for Bahai doctrine and history, serve as a vivid example for mechanisms employed in the “othering” of minority groups and the preparation for their physical persecution.

Although the Bah āʾī Faith is generally referred to as an independent religion, its relationship with Islam is complex. This chapter is restricted to one particular topic, that is, Bah āʾ Allāh's view on one of the most central features of Twelver Shīʿī theology, namely belief in the physical existence of a Twelfth Imām who has gone into occultation and who will rise one day as the Mahdī. The chapter then draws conclusions on how Bahāʾ Allāh viewed the Faith he was born into, that is, Twelver-Shīʿism. It also sheds new light on the question of whether the Bahāʾī Faith can be adequately described as a "Mahdist" movement, and if so, in what sense and to what extent the new religion deviates from its "predecessor", that is, Twelver Shīʿism. Quite notably, Bah āʾ Allāh declared all earlier prophecies "fulfilled", and did not raise new expectations. Keywords: Bahāʾ Allāh; Islam; Mahdist movement; Twelver Shīʿī

This book is an introduction to the literature and thought of the founders of the Shaykhiyya and the Babiyyah, two important religious movements in nineteenth-century Iran. The first part is an overview of the thought of Ahmad al-Ahsa'i and Kazim ar-Rashti, the progenitors of the Shaykhiyya, with a focus on their religious and philosophical teachings. The second part is an analysis of the early writings of 'Ali-Muhammad Shirazi (the Bab), the initiator of the Babiyyah. It contains a survey of major concepts found in his works and addresses issues that have generated debate in the past, particularly the exact nature of his religious claim and its reception by his contemporaries. Finally, the book contains an edition of the Bab's Treatise on Specific Prophethood. This is the first scholarly edition of a work by the Bab to be published in the original language.

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... 14 Der Bab gab vielen seiner herausragenden Junger Titel, die sich von Gottesnamen ablei-teten, z. B. 'Azim, Dayyan und Vahid. ... Die Baha'i-Gemeinde wird heute auf lokaler und nationaler Ebene von "Geistigen Raten" (mahfil-i rouhani) verwaltet.33 Jeder der 6rtli-chen Rate ...