Webinar: The Báb's Epistle to the 'Ulamá

Throughout His ministry, The Báb wrote many epistles addressed to theologians and seminary students. Among the writings of The Báb, there are two works known as the “Kitábu’l-‘Ulamá” or the “Epistle to the ‘Ulamá”, one which was revealed shortly after His return from the Arabian Peninsula to Iran and is the subject of this presentation.
This work, like many other epistles from the early period of The Báb’s ministry, is in the mode of divine verses and is in Arabic. We will attempt to provide brief historical background on developments in the world of Shí’ism prior to the inception of The Báb’s ministry and discuss the features of this epistle. Among the major themes of this work are the the subtlety of The Báb’s claims to a station greater than representing the hidden twelfth Imam, and the question of intertextuality between His writings and the Qur’án.
Our guest speaker is Nima Rafiei, who was born and raised in Minnesota and currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. He received his B.A. in history and political science from the University of Minnesota in 2013 and obtained an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Chicago in 2021, where he studied both classical and modern Arabic and Persian literature. His interests in Bábí and Bahá'í studies include early mystical writings of Bahá'u'lláh from the Baghdad period and The Báb's commentaries on súrahs of the Qur'án and Islamic oral traditions. He also contributes English translations of Bahá'í texts from the original Arabic and Persian.

[@christinewelter9975]

I would enjoy to hear more from this young scholar on this topic

[@NimaRafiei86]

ّI want to express my thanks and gratitude to the Wilmette Institute for the opportunity to present and speak about this research and translation. This comment is late, but I want to point out for the listeners and viewers that I mistakenly mischaracterized the findings of the Research Department at the Bahá'í World Centre in response to my questions regarding the Kitábu'l-'Ulamá in 2022. In the presentation, I mistakenly stated that the Research Department confirmed that there were not any autograph copies (copies in the handwriting of The Báb) or any in the handwriting of His 2 trusted scribes and secretaries, Siyyid Husayn Yazdí and Mírzá Ahmad Qazvíní located in the archives. However, this is not what the memorandum prepared by the Research Department says. The Research Department instead stated that at the present time, it cannot be determined or confirmed if any autograph copies of this work or those transcribed by the aforementioned 2 scribes are extant in the Bahá'í World Centre archives. This primarily owing to the fact that the scope of cataloging and authenticating the writings of The Báb in the archives is far from complete.

[@BeijaFlor54]

Keep going Nima! So grateful for your meticulous and dedicated work. Would love to read your thesis and individual translation.

[@DEERAF2k]

W

[@tonestunes2206]

How can email Nima Rafiei to get a copy of the Epistle in English?

[@ramzee374]

Thank you Nima. Look forward to hearing your next presentation.

[@christinewelter9975]

And no different from those followers of Christ who did not come to His aid at the kangaroo court or the ensuing crucifixion, just my thoughts.

[@davidkamran9092]

CLA$$IFIED