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Lights of ‘Irfán Papers Presented at the ‘Irfán Colloquia and Seminars Book III Papers published in Lights of ‘Irfán represent the views of their authors. Reproductions from this compilation are permitted provided that the sources and authors are clearly indicated. ‘Irfán Colloquia Bahá'í National Center 1233 Central Street Evanston, IL 60201 Phone: (847) 733-3501 Fax: (847) 733-3502 E-mail: iayman@usbnc.org Sponsored by the Haj Mehdi Arjmand Memorial Fund 159 B.E. 2002 C.E. Copyright © 2002, Haj Mehdi Arjmand Memorial Fund Artwork and design by Trey and Lynne Y ancy Edited and typeset by Jonah Winters, www.winterswebworks.com

                          Table of Contents  
    
  Preface.................................................................iii    
        
  A Journey through the Seven Valleys  
      Ghasem Bayat..........................................................1  

  The beginning that hath no beginning: Bahá'í Cosmogony 
      Vahid Brown..........................................................21  

  Knowledge, Certitude and the Mystical Heart:  
  The Hidden Essence of God's Word  
      LeRoy Jones..........................................................41  

  The Báb's Epistle on the Spiritual Journey towards God  
      Todd Lawson..........................................................49  

  From Adam to Bahá'u'lláh: The Idea of a Chain of Prophecy  
      Zaid Lundberg........................................................59  

  The Wronged One: Shí'í Narrative Structure in Bahá'u'lláh's  
  Tablet of Visitation for Mullá Husayn  
      William McCants......................................................83  

  The Mystical Dimensions of the Bahá'í Administrative Order  
      Kavian Milani........................................................95  

  Mysticism and the Bahá'í Community  
      Moojan Momen........................................................107  

  The Lawh-i-Mánikjí Sáhib: introduction and provisional translation  
      Ramin Neshati.......................................................121  

  The Seven Valleys and the Scientific Method  
      Robert Sarracino....................................................129  

  Theological Responses to Modernity in the Nineteenth-century Middle East  
      Oliver Scharbrodt...................................................139  

  Mysticism in African Traditional Religion and in the Bahá'í Faith:  
  Classification of Concepts and Practices  
      Enoch Tanyi.........................................................155  

  An Exposition on the Fire Tablet by Bahá'u'lláh  
      James Thomas........................................................173  

  The Influence of Bábí Teachings on Ling Ming Tang  
  and Nineteenth-century China  
      Jianping Wang.......................................................185  
    
  Appendix  
      contents of previous volumes of Lights of 'Irfán....................201