Baháʼí text containing ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's views on religion, philosophy and science
Some Answered Questions (abbreviated SAQ;
Persian version: Mufáviḍát-i-‘Abdu'l-Bahá ) is a compilation of table talks of
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá that were collected by
Laura Clifford Barney between 1904 and 1906 across several pilgrimages. The book was first published in English in 1908.
[1] ʻAbdu'l-Bahá was the son of
Baháʼu'lláh , the founder of the
Baháʼí Faith , and was appointed by him as his successor and interpreter of his words.
[2]
The book covers a variety of subjects, including religion, philosophy, science, human evolution, immortality of the soul, labor strikes, reincarnation, and a variety of Christian topics.
[3]
History
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's answers were first written down in
Persian by a secretary, and afterwards revised twice by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. In 1908, three first editions were published: The Persian text by
E.J. Brill in
The Netherlands ; the English translation of Laura Clifford Barney by Regan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. in
London ; and a French edition translated by
Hippolyte Dreyfus [
fr ] , published by Ernest Leroux in
Paris .
[3]
A new English translation revised by a committee at the
Baháʼí World Centre was published in 2014 and made available in early 2015.
Overview
The book is divided into five parts:
I. On the Influence of the Prophets in the Evolution of Humanity
Part one covers topics such as the one universal law that governs
nature , rational and spiritual proofs of the existence of
God ,
[4]
Manifestations of God
[5] (
Abraham ,
[6]
Moses ,
[7]
Christ ,
[8]
Muhammad ,
[9] (includes His
wives and
battles ), the
Báb ,
[10] and
Baháʼu'lláh ),
[11] and
Biblical prophecies from chapters 8, 9 and 12 of the
Book of Daniel (see
Day-year principle ),
[12] chapter 11 of the
Book of Isaiah and chapters 11 and 12 of the
Book of Revelation .
[13]
[14]
[15]
II. Some Christian Subjects
Part two consists of subjects of Christian interest, such as the significance of
symbolism ("
intelligible realities and their expression through sensible forms"
[16] ), an examination and breakdown of various verses from the
Bible , the story of
Adam and Eve ,
[17] the
birth of Christ , the greatness of Christ,
[8]
baptism ,
[18]
miracles ,
[19] the
Eucharist ,
Peter and the
Papacy , the
resurrection of Christ,
[20] the
Holy Spirit , the
second coming of Christ, the
Day of Judgement , the
Trinity ,
sin ,
[21]
blasphemy ,
[22] and
predestination .
[23]
III. On the Powers and Conditions of the Manifestations of God
Part three speaks about topics such as the five aspects of spirit,
[24] the stations, power and influence of the
Manifestations of God ,
universal cycles ,
[25] the two classes of
Prophets ,
[26] God's rebukes to the Prophets
[27] and
infallibility .
[28]
IV. On the Origin, Powers and Conditions of Man
The fourth part includes a commentary on the theory of
evolution ,
[29]
[30] the
origin of the universe ,
[31] the
difference between man and animal ,
[32] the origin of man, the difference between the
soul ,
mind , and spirit,
[33]
human nature ,
[34] the origin of the spirit and mind of man, the
relationship between the spirit and the body , the relationship between God and man (
emanationism ),
[35] the physical and intellectual powers of man, the differences of character in men,
[34] the degree of knowledge man possesses and the knowledge the Manifestations of God possess, man's knowledge of God, the
immortality of the spirit, the state and progress of the
spirit after death ,
[33]
fate ,
[23] the
influence of the stars ,
[36]
free will ,
[37]
visions ,
dreams
[38] and
communication with spirits ,
[39] and
spiritual and
physical healing .
[40]
V. Miscellaneous Subjects
Part five goes into topics such as the nonexistence of
evil ,
[41] two kinds of
torment ,
[42] the justice and mercy of God, the
punishment of criminals,
strikes ,
reality ,
pre-existence ,
reincarnation ,
[43]
pantheism ('
Unity of Existence '),
[44] four kinds of
comprehension ,
[45] and
ethics .
[46]
[47]
See also
References
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"Some Answered Questions" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 325.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Tai-Seale, Thomas (1992).
Thy Kingdom Come: A Biblical Introduction to the Baháʼí Faith . US: Kalimat Press. pp. 194–195.
ISBN
0933770936 .
^
a
b Foreword to the 2014 edition of Some Answered Questions .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"God" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 164–165.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"manifestations of God" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 231.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"Abraham" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 22.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"Moses" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 251.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^
a
b Smith, Peter (2000).
"Jesus" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 214.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"Muhammad" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 251.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"Báb" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 55–61.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"Baháʼu'lláh" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 73–86.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Riggs, Robert (1998).
I, Daniel .
^ Sours, Michael (1996). Understanding Biblical Prophecy . Oxford, UK: George Ronald.
ISBN
9781851681112 .
^ Tai-Seale, Thomas (1992).
Thy Kingdom Come: A Biblical Introduction to the Baháʼí Faith . US: Kalimat Press.
ISBN
0933770936 .
^ Able, John (2011).
Apocalypse Secrets: Baha'i Interpretation of the Book of Revelation .
^ Lepain, Jean-Marc (2015) [2002].
The Archeology of the Kingdom of God . pp. 246-270.
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"Adam" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 23.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"baptism" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 90.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"miracles" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 249.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"resurrection" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 293.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"sin" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 322–323.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Momen, Moojan (2009).
"Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: Chapter 31 of Some Answered Questions" . Irfan Colloquia . Vol. 10. Wilmette, IL: Irfan Colloquia. pp. 275–294.
^
a
b Smith, Peter (2000).
"fate" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 157.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"metaphysics" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 245–246.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"time" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 338–339.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"prophets" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 279.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Hemmat, Amrollah (2008).
Adam's Wish: Unknown Poetry of Tahirih . Baha'i Publishing Trust. pp. 23–24.
ISBN
978-1-890688-36-3 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"infallibility" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 196–197.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"evolution" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 136.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Brown, Keven, ed. (2001).
"Evolution and Baháʼí Belief: ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's Response to Nineteenth-Century Darwinism" . Studies in the Bábí and Baháʼí Religions . Vol. 12. Los Angeles, US: Kalimat Press. pp. 179–180.
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"creation" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 116.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Filson, Gerald.
Mind: ‘the Power of the Human Spirit' . Journal of Bahá’í Studies, vol. 32, no. 3-4, July 2023, pp. 9-53. For a general discussion on this topic, see
animal cognition
^
a
b Smith, Peter (2000).
"soul" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 325–326.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^
a
b Smith, Peter (2000).
"evolution" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 186.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^
Taherzadeh, Adib (1987).
The Revelation of Baháʼu'lláh, Volume 4: Mazra'ih & Bahji 1877-92 . Oxford, UK: George Ronald. pp. 41–42.
ISBN
0-85398-270-8 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"astrology" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 52.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"free will" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 160.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"dreams and visions" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 125.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"psychic powers" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 279–280.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"health and healing" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 178–180.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"evil" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 135.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"suffering" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 328.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"reincarnation" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 289.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^ Brown, Keven (2001).
"ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's Response to the Doctrine of the Unity of Existence" . Journal of Baháʼí Studies . Vol. 11:3-4. Ottawa, CA: Association for Baháʼí Studies. pp. 1–29.
^ Smith, Peter (2000).
"knowledge" . A concise encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith . Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 221.
ISBN
1-85168-184-1 .
^
Schaefer, Udo (2007).
Baháʼí Ethics in Light of Scripture, Volume 1 - Doctrinal Fundamentals . Oxford, UK: George Ronald.
ISBN
978-0-85398-505-1 .
^
Schaefer, Udo (2009).
Baháʼí Ethics in Light of Scripture, Volume 2 - Virtues and Divine Commandments . Oxford, UK: George Ronald.
ISBN
978-0-85398-518-1 .
Further reading
External links
Central figures Basics (
outline ) Key scripture Institutions History People Places Other topics