BahaiGlossary.org
What is the Bahá'í Glossary?
The Bahá'í vocabulary has many Arabic and Persian words that may be unfamiliar to non-native speakers and newcomers to the Bahá'í Faith. This glossary is designed to help Bahá'ís learn to pronounce these words according to the pronunciation guide established and promoted by Shoghí Effendí.
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Language of Origin:
The Persian Bayán was written while the Báb was imprisoned in Maku (1847-48). The book contains elements of Bábí law, discussion of religious concepts, and the glorification of "He whom God shall make manifest." It was one of the Báb's first works in which he clearly states that he is the messianic figure of the Twelfth Imam and the Mahdi which the Shi'as were expecting. With the claim, he also claimed the abrogation of the Islamic dispensation, and uses the new Bábí law to abrogate Islamic law. Shoghi Effendi has stated that the Persian Bayán should be not be considered as a complete set of laws and ordinances, but rather, should be seen as a "eulogy of the Promised One". In the Persian Bayan, the Báb specifically refers to the “Order of Bahá'u'lláh”.
The Arabic Bayán is a smaller work which was revealed when the Báb was imprisoned in Chihríq. Both the Persian and Arabic Bayáns were left intentionally unfinished, to be completed by “He whom God shall make manifest”. Bahá’ís regard the Kitáb-i-Íqán, by Bahá'u'lláh, to be the completion of the works.
