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"Todd Lawson"

1. Art and the Interconnectedness of All Things, by Todd Lawson, in UK Bahá'í, 30 (2020). Art as a mode of divine revelation in the Wrings and Calligraphy of the Báb. Essays and short articles. [about]
2. Authority of the Feminine and Fatima's Place in an Early Work by the Bab, The, by Todd Lawson, in Online Journal of Bahá'í Studies, 1 (2007). While Tahirih inspired many in Europe and eventually America, she is very much a daughter of her own culture, history, mythology, and religion. She was a religious mystic who felt a new day arising in the world, and seen by some as the "return" of Fatima. Published Articles. [about]
3. Báb's Epistle on the Spiritual Journey towards God, The, by Todd Lawson, in Lights of Irfan, Book 3 (2002). A preliminary translation and discussion of the Bab's Risála fi's-Sulúk, one of his earliest extant compositions. It provides a brief discussion of the mystic quest, and sheds light on the Báb's relationship to the Shaykhi movement and to Sayyid Kázim. Published Articles. [about]
4. Bab, The, by Moojan Momen and Todd Lawson, in World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy (2011). Encyclopedia articles. [about]
5. Bahá'í History, in Journal of Religious History, 36:4 (2012). A complete issue of this well-known journal was dedicated entirely to Bahá'í Studies. So far, only 3 articles from it are online. Books. [about]
6. Bahá'í Reception of the Qur'an, The, by Todd Lawson (2016). Quranic themes inform much of the Bahá'í proclamation. One theme is unity: there is one god, one humanity, and one religion. Another is the importance of Revelation through God's recurring messengers, and Apocalypse as but the dawn of a new message. Videos. [about]
7. Baha'i Religious History: Introduction, by Todd Lawson, in Journal of Religious History, 36:4 (2012). Introduction to a special issue of this journal titled "Bahá'í History," summarizing the prophetic record, the divine hierarchy of history, and the primacy of science and education. Essays and short articles. [about]
8. Bahá'í Tradition, The: The Return of Joseph and the Peaceable Imagination, by Todd Lawson, in Fighting Words: Religion, Violence, and the Interpretation of Sacred Texts, ed. John Renard (2012). Overview of the status of violence in the Bahá'í tradition, and the historical/social conditions in which these doctrines were articulated. Published Articles. [about]
9. Coherent Chaos and Chaotic Cosmos: The Qur'ān and the Symmetry of Truth, by Todd Lawson, in Weltkonstruktionen: Religiöse Weltdeutung zwischen Chaos und Kosmos vom Alten Orient bis zum Islam (2010). While at first glance the Qur'an appears to be chaotic in form and structure, on closer examination it reveals an interconnected logic of content, performance, imagery, grammar, and poetics. Article does not mention the Bahá'í Faith. Published Articles. [about]
10. Coincidentia Oppositorum in the Qayyum al-Asma: The terms "Point" (nuqta), "Pole" (qutb), "Center" (markaz) and the Khutbat al-tatanjiya, by Todd Lawson, in Occasional Papers in Shaykhi, Babi and Bahá'í Studies (2001). The importance of the Khutba al-tutunjiya for a study of the Bab's writings; the presence in the Qayyum al-asma of the motif of the coincidentia oppositorum, in distinctively Shi'i form, as an expression of its "apocalyptic imagination". Unpublished Articles. [about]
11. Consciousness, Imagination and Gratitude: The Inexhaustible Sources of the Self, by Todd Lawson (2011). Audio. [about]
12. Dangers of Reading, The: Inlibration Communion and Transference in the Qur'an Commentary of The Bab, by Todd Lawson, in Scripture and Revelation (1997). Tafsír (traditional Qur'an commentary) and the writings of the Bab. Published Articles. [about]
13. Exegesis (tafsír), by Todd Lawson, in Encyclopaedia Iranica, Volume 9 (1999). Brief excerpt, with link to article offsite. Encyclopedia articles. [about]
14. Globalization and the Hidden Words, by Todd Lawson, in Bahá'í and Globalisation, ed. Margit Warburg (2005). A philological analysis of Baha’u’llah’s Hidden Words, elucidating the development of the global orientation of the Babi-Baha’i religion in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Baghdad. Published Articles. [about]
15. Haykal or "Star Tablet" Written in the Báb's Own Hand: Form, Content, and Provisional Translation, by Dergham Aqiqi and Todd Lawson (2021). Detailed analysis of the content and translation of an undated haykal; the relation between the Báb’s composition and the Qur'an; scriptural/verbal and figural/artistic modes of revelation; symbolism of the star shape; role of repetition; dominion. Presentations. [about]
16. Ibn 'Arabi's Joseph: Imagination as Holy Communion, by Todd Lawson (2010). Audio. [about]
17. Interpretation as Revelation: The Qur'an Commentary of the Báb, by Todd Lawson, in Journal of Bahá'í Studies, 2:4 (1990). Overview and context of two of the Bab's earliest writings and their relevance to Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsá’í and Siyyid Kázim Rashtí: a commentary on the Qur'an's Chapter of the Cow, and his famous Qayyúm al-Asmá, Commentary on the Chapter of Joseph. Published Articles. [about]
18. Islam and the Life of the Mind, by Todd Lawson (2005). History of Islamic philosophy and how it connects to individual Muslims. Videos. [about]
19. Joycean Modernism in a Nineteenth-Century Qur'an Commentary?: A Comparison of The Báb's Qayyūm Al-Asmā' with Joyce's Ulysses, by Todd Lawson, in Erin and Iran: Cultural Encounters between the Irish and the Iranians, ed. H. E. Chehabi and Grace Neville (2015). Comparison of the formal structure of the two works and themes such as time; oppositions and their resolution; relation between form and content; prominence of epiphany; manifestation, advent and apocalypse; and the theme of heroism, reading and identity. Published Articles. [about]
20. Lawh (Tablet), by Moojan Momen and Todd Lawson, in Encyclopaedia Iranica (2005). Brief excerpt, with link to article offsite. Encyclopedia articles. [about]
21. Le Coran et l'imaginaire apocalyptique, by Todd Lawson, in Religions et Histoire, 34 (2010). Published Articles. [about]
22. Letters and Essays, The Master in Akká, and In Iran: Studies in Babi and Baha'i History vol. 3: Reviews, by Todd Lawson, in Iranian Studies, 21:3-4 (1988). Reviews of three books by Kalimat Press. Book Reviews. [about]
23. Letters of the Living (Hurúf al-Hayy), by Muhammad Afnan and Todd Lawson, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). Title given by the Báb to His first eighteen disciples. Encyclopedia articles. [about]
24. Martyrdom, by Todd Lawson, in Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World: Oxford Islamic Studies Online (2008). Overview of the history of and sacred texts about martyrdom in Islam, with a passing mention of the Bahá'í Faith. Encyclopedia articles. [about]
25. Most Noble Pattern, A: Collected Essays on the Writings of the Báb, `Alí Muhammad Shirazi (1819-1850) (2012). Sixteen essays by many of the leading specialists on the sometimes very difficult and challenging writings of the Báb. Includes link to audio recordings of a descendant of the Báb reading from his works. Books. [about]
26. Muhammad as Educator, Islam as Enlightenment, and the Quran as Sacred Epic, by Todd Lawson, in Knowledge and Education in Classical Islam, ed. Sebastian Gunther (2020). To Islam, civilization in prosperity and harmony is sacred; education is pivotal in the journey from ignorance to enlightenment; overview of the "heroic" theme and "epic" structure of the Qur'an. Contains no mention of the Bahá'í Faith. Published Articles. [about]
27. Mulla Husayn Bushrui, by Moojan Momen and Todd Lawson, in World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy (2011). Encyclopedia articles. [about]
28. Qayyum al-Asma' Sura 93: Chapter of the Bees (Qayyum al-Asma 93: Surat al-nahl): A commentary on the Sura of Joseph, "The Best of Stories", by Báb, The (2002). Translation, and lengthy commentary, on the Súratu’l-Nahl. Provisional translations. [about]
29. Qayyúm-al-'Asmá: Wilmette Institute faculty notes, by Ismael Velasco and Todd Lawson (1999). Study Guides. [about]
30. Qur'an and the Apocalyptic Imagination, The, by Todd Lawson (2010). The Qur'án is regarded as a revelation of a divine message, unveiling truth to humankind at a time of transformative crisis and announcing its judgement. Unpublished Articles. [about]
31. Qur'an and the Bahá'í Faith, The, by Todd Lawson, in Communities of the Qur'an: Dialogue, debate and diversity in the twenty-first century, ed. Emran El-Badawi and Paula Sanders (2019). On how tafsir, Islam, and the Qur'an have had a great impact on the form and content of the Bahá'í revelation. Published Articles. [about]
32. Qur'an Commentary as Sacred Performance: The Bab's tafsirs of Qur'an 103 and 108, the Declining Day and the Abundance, by Todd Lawson, in Der Iran um 19 Jahrhundert und die Enstehung der Bahá'í Religion (1998). Quranic commentary played a major role in the formation of the Bábí movement. Early Babis were impressed by the Bab's innovative interpretation of scripture. As the Bab's claims became more widely known, his language became less esoteric. Published Articles. [about]
33. Qur'an Commentary of Sayyid 'Alí Muhammad, the Báb, The: Doctoral dissertation, by Todd Lawson (1987). A study of the Báb's two earliest works, partial commentaries on the Qur'an entitled "Tafsír súrat al-baqara" and "Tafsír súrat Yúsuf" (aka The Qayyum al-Asma), in an attempt to appreciate the Bab's attitude towards the Qur'an. Theses. [about]
34. Religious Authority and Apocalypse: Tafsír as Experience in an Early Work by The Báb, by Todd Lawson, in Unity in Diverity: Mysticism, Messianism and the Construction of Religious Authority in Islam, ed. Orkhan Mir-Kasimov (2013). Analysis of the Báb's commentary on the Qur'an's longest chapter, Surat al-baqara, regarded as his first significant work, which includes themes such as divine self-manifestation, the hierarchy of existence, eschatology, and religious authority. Published Articles. [about]
35. Ruh al-Quddus, by Moojan Momen and Todd Lawson, in World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy (2011). Encyclopedia articles. [about]
36. Seeing Double: The Covenant and the Tablet of Ahmad, by Todd Lawson, in Bahá'í Faith and the World's Religions (2005). The Tablet of Ahmad is believed to have special potency. "Seeing double" means both looking at the words of Scripture, and looking in the direction beyond the words, as indicated by the context. This paper also discusses the meaning of Covenant in Islam. Published Articles. [about]
37. Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsa'i and the World of Images, by Todd Lawson, in Shi‘i Trends and Dynamics in Modern Times, ed. Denis Hermann and Sabrina Mervin (2010). Characteristics and function of this world as found in the writings of Mullá Muhammad Muhsin Fayd Káshání and Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsá'í. Does not mention the Bahá'í Faith. Published Articles. [about]
38. Signs: Quranic Themes in the Writings of the Báb, by Todd Lawson, in elixir-journal.org, vol. 6 (2017). With the composition of the Qayyum al-asma, the Báb demonstrated the incredible breadth and depth of His knowledge and that He had fully interiorized, indeed embodied, the Quran. Selected themes briefly illustrated with quotations from the Qur'an. Published Articles. [about]
39. Structure of Existence in the Bab's Tafsir and the Perfect Man Motif, The, by Todd Lawson, in Studia Iranica: Cahiers 11: Recurrent Patterns in Iranian Religions from Mazdaism to Sufism (1992). The Perfect Man is the mediator between God and the World. He is the mirror in which creation sees God, the eye by which God sees creation. The Bab phrased his cosmology and his Quranic exegesis in light of wahdat al-wujud, the Unity of Being. Published Articles. [about]
40. Styles of piety: Notes on the relationship between Bahá'í scholars and the Bahá'í institutions with reference to academic methodology, by Todd Lawson, in Bahá'í Studies Review, 11 (2003). On the role of the scholar in the community, the phenomenon of the internet, and the institution of the Covenant, as seen in the light of the intellectual heritage of the Islamic world. Published Articles. [about]
41. Tablet (Lawh) in Bahá'í Usage, by Todd Lawson (2005). Meanings of the common Bahá'í terms lawh (tablet), ketáb (book), sahífa (treatise), resála (epistle), etc. Unpublished Articles. [about]
42. Tafsir and the Meaning of the Qur'an: The Crucifixion in Muslim Thought, by Todd Lawson (2010). Using Qur'án 4:156-7 as an example, classical tafsīr, “scholastic" exegesis, has not always taken account of the way all Muslims understand the Quranic text. Other understandings may be found in poetry, philosophy, mysticism and even historical writing. Videos. [about]
43. Tahirih Qurratul-ayn, by Moojan Momen and Todd Lawson, in World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy (2011). Encyclopedia articles. [about]
44. Terms Remembrance (dhikr) and Gate (bab) in the Bab's Commentary on the Sura of Joseph, The, by Todd Lawson, in Studies in Honor of the Late Husayn M. Balyuzi, Studies in the Bábí and Bahá'í Religions, vol. 5, ed. Moojan Momen (1989). Who is the "voice" of the Qayyum al-Asma: the person Ali-Muhammad Shirazi, the hidden Imam through The Báb, the Báb as the Imam himself, or God? The Bab seems to be the Imam speaking the voice of God. He is Dhikru'lláh, "Remembrance of God." Published Articles. [about]
45. The Báb; Husayn Bushru'i; Ruh al-Quddus; Tahirih, by Moojan Momen and Todd Lawson, in Holy People of the World: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia (2004). Encyclopedia articles. [about]
46. Typological Figuration and the Meaning of "Spiritual": The Qurʾanic Story of Joseph, by Todd Lawson, in Journal of the American Oriental Society, 132:2 (2012). Meanings of the famous shirt (qamís) as a symbol of Joseph's spiritual journey and travails in the Qur'an and tafsír. Brief mentions of Shaykh Ahmad, Siyyid Kazim, and the Báb on pp. 229, 231 and 237-238. Published Articles. [about]

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