On 28 November ,2021 followers of the Baha‘i Faith from across the world solemnly observed the centenary of the passing of ‘Abdul-Baha (1844-1921), the son and appointed successor of Baha’ullah – the prophet founder of the Baha’i religion ± DQG D VLJQL¿FDQW ¿JXUH LQ WKH FRQWHPSRUDU\ LQWHOOHFWXDO KLVtory of Iran. This book is in homage to this important occasion ,and a contribution to a deepened understanding of the multifaceted life and profound teachings of this notable ¿JXUH. 7KH VLJQL¿FDQFH RI D ERRN DERXW µ$EGXO %DKD¶V LPSDFW on the enlightenment in the modern history of Iran must be situated in the context of a long-standing enmity by the traditional Shi‘i clerical establishment against the Baha’i comPXQLW\ DQG DQ LPSRVHG DPQHVLD LQ UHVSHFW RI LWV VLJQL¿FDQW contributions to modernity and progress. In the second half of the 19th and early 20th century, during the reign of the Qajar dynasty in Iran (1789-1925), the Baha’i teachings, emphasizing the importance of human rights and religious tolerance, gender equality and education of girls, and democratic consultative governance, resonated strongly with calls for modern political reforms and the pursuit of a more progressive society. Such was the rapid spread of these revolutionary ideals that a comprehensive understanding of the history of the enlightenment in Iran and the consequent Constitutional Revolution (1905-1911) is incomplete without understanding the history and teachings of the Baha’i religion, which was under the F O R E W O R D
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