New Volume of Abdu’l-Baha’s Writings Released

A volume of newly translated tablets penned by Abdu’l-Baha has been released online and in print.

“Light of the World” comprises a selection of seventy-six tablets, from among thousands penned by Abdu’l-Baha, in which aspects of the life of Baha’u’llah and the purpose of his Faith are recounted. “Who better to tell us about Baha’u’llah,” the preface of the new volume states, “than His most cherished Son, Who shared, as His closest associate, His life of exile, imprisonment, and persecution?”

The passing of Baha’u’llah on 29 May 1892, after a ministry spanning four decades of exile from his native Iran, left the Baha’i community grief-stricken. In its hour of need, the community turned to Abdu’l-Baha — Baha’u’llah’s appointed successor – for solace and guidance.

Many of the tablets in the new volume are from that time of bereavement, while others were written in later years when Baha’is found themselves suffering persecution and hardship. Abdu’l-Baha called on Baha’is to reflect on the life of Baha’u’llah and his response to times of tribulation as a source of inspiration in their efforts to serve humanity, even when under the most difficult circumstances.

The release of this volume comes at a special period of reflection on the lives of the central figures of the Baha’i Faith. Over the last five years, the Baha’i world has marked the bicentenaries of the birth of Baha’u’llah and the birth of the Bab, and now prepares to commemorate the centenary of Abdu’l-Baha’s passing later this year.

“Light of the World” is available on the Baha’i Reference Library; the book can be ordered through the United States Baha’i Publishing Trust.