The Three Stages of Divine Revelation

by Guy Sinclair

About: In God Passes By, Shoghi Effendi briefly summarizes the contents of Bahá’u’lláh’s Kitáb-i-Íqán, stating (inter alia) that the Kitáb-i-Íqán “adumbrates and distinguishes between the three stages of Divine Revelation.” This paper seeks to explore the meaning of this short phrase, by discussing what Shoghi Effendi means by “Divine Revelation” and by locating the three stages in the Íqán itself. The paper then sketches some doctrines of Sufi philosophers which provide important background to understanding the significance of Bahá’u’lláh’s three stages, and attempts to articulate one understanding of the passage in the Kitáb-i-Íqán, read together with Shoghi Effendi’s interpretation.