Symbol and Secret: Qur'an Commentary in Baháʼuʼlláh's Kitáb-i qán

by Christopher Buck

This is the first full volume in English devoted to a study of the Kitáb-i Íqán, a book designated by the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith as “foremost among the priceless treasures cast forth from the billowing ocean of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation.” Christopher Buck, a Bahá’í scholar of Islamic Studies, elucidates Bahá’u’lláh’s explanations of the symbolic language found in the Qur’an and in the Gospels. Bahá’u’lláh offers new insight into the meanings of these verses, and Buck illustrates how through those meanings the Kitáb-i Íqán forms a bridge to a new Revelation. Through extensive research, Buck shares the history of the revelation of the Kitáb-i Íqán, the rhetorical techniques which Bahá’u’lláh uses in this work, and its early publication in India at Bahá’u’lláh’s command. He also answers the attacks that non-Bahá’í critics have directed against it. A must-read for students of Bahá’í Scripture.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1997