Bahá'í texts online | Bahá'í.FYI
The Bahá'í Reference Library hosts freely downloadable copies of all the major Bahá'í scriptural works and books that have been translated into English, as well as many texts in their original languages (Persian and Arabic).
Bahá'í Reference Library - Authoritative source of Bahá'í writings
Archival copies of some Bahá'í texts are also available on Bahai.works, a part of the Bahaipedia family of websites.
The Gutenberg project also hosts archival copies of certain Bahá'í texts; some of these are available on Gopher.
Gutenberg Project search (gopher)
This page provides links to a selection of Bahá'í texts that are available on the web and on gopher.
Compilations
Bahá’í Prayers
A Selection of Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá.
Bahá’í Sacred Writings
A comprehensive collection of selections from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and the Writings and utterances of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, representing the range of the Bahá’í teachings.
Bahá'u'lláh
The Call of the Divine Beloved
Seven Tablets revealed by Bahá’u’lláh on mystical themes, including the poem Rashḥ-i-‘Amá and new translations of the Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys.
Days of Remembrance
Forty-five selections from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh revealed for, or relating to, nine Bahá’í Holy Days.
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
A Tablet addressed to Shaykh Muhammad-Taqiy-i-Najafi, a prominent Muslim cleric who had persecuted the Bahá’ís. It was revealed around 1891 at the Mansion of Bahjí and translated by Shoghi Effendi.
Gems of Divine Mysteries
An epistle revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in Arabic during his exile in Baghdad, in reply to questions from Siyyid Yusuf-i-Sidihi Isfahani.
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah
A selection of passages from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, compiled and translated by Shoghi Effendi, including extracts from Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, the Kitáb-i-Íqán, and the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, as well as other Tablets.
The Hidden Words
A work consisting of short passages revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in Persian and Arabic in 1857/58 during His exile in Baghdad, translated by Shoghi Effendi.
The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: The Most Holy Book
Bahá’u’lláh’s book of laws, written in Arabic around 1873 while He was still imprisoned within the city of ‘Akká. It was supplemented by later Writings and by Bahá’u’lláh’s replies to a series of questions posed by one of His secretaries. The first authorized English translation was published in 1992, annotated and accompanied by the supplementary Writings and the questions and answers.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán: The Book of Certitude
A treatise revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in Baghdad in 1861/62 in response to questions posed by one of the maternal uncles of the Báb, translated by Shoghi Effendi and first published in English in 1931.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh
A selection of prayers and meditations revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, compiled and translated by Shoghi Effendi and first published in 1938.
The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys
Two works written in Baghdad after Bahá’u’lláh returned from Kurdistan in 1856. The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys were addressed to Sufi mystics with whom He had been in contact in Sulaymáníyyih. These works are part of the publication Call of the Divine Beloved.
The Summons of the Lord of Hosts
Six works comprising letters written by Bahá’u’lláh during His exile in Adrianople and the early years of His banishment to ‘Akká, addressed to the monarchs and leaders of His time, including Napoleon III of France, Czar Alexander II of Russia, Queen Victoria of England, Nasiri’d-Din Shah of Persia, and Pope Pius IX.
The Tabernacle of Unity
Five Tablets addressed to individuals of Zoroastrian background, including two letters responding to questions posed by the Parsi Zoroastrian scholar and philanthropist Manikchi Sahib, as well as the Tablet of the Seven Questions and two other Tablets.
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas
Sixteen Tablets revealed by Bahá’u’lláh during the later years of His life, including the Tablet of Carmel, the Book of the Covenant, and the Tablet of Wisdom, as well as excerpts from other Writings.
The Báb
Selections from the Writings of the Báb
A collection of excerpts from books and Tablets revealed by the Báb, including the Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’ (Commentary on the Súrih of Joseph), the Persian Bayán, Dalá’il-i-Sab‘ih (the Seven Proofs), the Kitáb-i-Asmá’ (the Book of Names), and various other Writings. It was first published in an authorized English translation in 1976.
'Abdu'l-Bahá
A Traveler’s Narrative
A historical account written by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá around 1886 and first published anonymously in Persian in 1890. The English translation was prepared by Professor Edward G. Browne and first published by Cambridge University Press in 1891.
Bahá'í World Faith
Bahá'í World Faith was intended to replace the earlier compilation Bahá'í Scriptures with newer translations. However, many of the translations in Bahá'í World Faith have themselves been superseded by more authoritative versions. The reader is thus advised that some of the translations included here could be poor or even incorrect.
Light of the World
Tablets of ‘Abdul-Bahá describing aspects of the life of Bahá’u’lláh including the tribulations He suffered, events in His homeland, the purpose and greatness of His Cause, and the nature and significance of His Covenant.
Memorials of the Faithful
Eulogies of some eighty early Bahá’ís transcribed from a series of talks given by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá in Haifa around 1914–15. The Persian transcripts were later corrected by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá and compiled into a single volume, published in 1924. An English translation was published in 1971.
Paris Talks
A compilation of talks given by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá during His first stay in Paris, from October to December 1911. Also included are three talks delivered during visits to England in 1912–13 and a Tablet revealed in 1913.
The Promulgation of Universal Peace
A collection of transcriptions of over one hundred talks delivered by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá during the nine months in 1912 when He travelled across the United States and Canada.
The Secret of Divine Civilization
A treatise written by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá in Persian in 1875, addressed to the rulers and people of Persia. It was printed in Bombay in 1882 and widely circulated in Iran. This English translation was first published in 1957.
Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá
A collection of English translations of more than two hundred letters, prayers, and other Writings by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, first published in 1978.
Selections from the writings of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá
Some of the materials printed in this volume were first printed in 1909 in a collection as "Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas". Their translations in that volume have been superseded by the authoritative translations printed in "Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá".
Some Answered Questions
A collection of transcriptions of table talks given by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá in ‘Akká between 1904 and 1906 in response to questions posed by Laura Dreyfus-Barney, an American Bahá’í resident in Paris, and first published in 1908. The new edition, extensively retranslated, was published in 2014.
Tablet to Dr. Auguste Forel
A letter written by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá in 1921 in reply to a letter from Professor Auguste Forel, a Swiss psychiatrist.
Tablets of the Divine Plan
Fourteen letters addressed by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá to the North American Bahá’í community as a whole as well as by region—Canada and the Northeastern, Southern, Central, and Western United States. The first eight letters were written between 26 March and 22 April 1916, the remainder between 2 February and 8 March 1917.
Tablets to The Hague
Two letters of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá written in response to letters addressed to Him by the Executive Committee of the Central Organization for a Durable Peace.
Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá
A document written in three parts between 1901 and 1908. It was read officially in the Holy Land on 3 January 1922.
Shoghi Effendi
The Advent of Divine Justice
A letter written by Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá’ís of North America, dated 25 December 1938.
Bahá’í Administration
A selection of letters and messages addressed to the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada, written between January 1922 and July 1932.
Citadel of Faith
A collection of messages from Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá’ís of the United States, written between 1947 and 1957.
God Passes By
A historical review by Shoghi Effendi of the first century of the Bahá’í Faith, published in 1944 on the occasion of the one-hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of the Báb.
Messages to the Baha'i World: 1950-1957
General messages of Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá'ís, written between 1950 and 1957.
The Promised Day is Come
A letter written by Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá’ís of the West, dated 28 March 1941.
This Decisive Hour
A collection of letters and cablegrams written by Shoghi Effendi to the North American Bahá’í community from 1932 to 1946, originally published under the title Messages to America.
Gutenberg (gopher) (as Messages to America)
The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh
Seven letters written by Shoghi Effendi and addressed to the Bahá’ís of the United States and the West, first collected in 1938, comprising “The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh”, “The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh: Further Considerations”, “The Goal of a New World Order”, “The Golden Age of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh”, “America and the Most Great Peace”, “The Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh”, and “The Unfoldment of World Civilization”.