The Kitáb-i-Aqdas
STOCKHOLM — The first complete Swedish translation of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas—Bahá’u’lláh’s Most Holy Book—has been published, concluding an undertaking that began more than three decades ago and now makes the sacred text available in its entirety to Swedish speakers.
An initial Swedish translation, made from the authorized English text, was completed in 1994. The undertaking continued during the ensuing decades alongside a broader effort to make Bahá’í sacred writings available in Swedish. This growing body of translations provided an important foundation for the work on the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
The translation demanded careful attention to both language and meaning. Translators and reviewers returned repeatedly to passages, worked through numerous questions on how the English rendering related to the original languages, and sought consistency in the use of key terms throughout.
Sweden’s Bahá’í National Spiritual Assembly brought together some 15 people, including translators and members of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of Sweden, who contributed to various parts of the process. Nader Stenberg of the Publishing Trust reflected on the art of translation, saying that understanding the meaning comes first, and that conveying it requires not only correct but “fluent language that is beautiful and at the same time poetic” in order “to capture all the aspects” of the sacred text.
The publication was announced at a five-day gathering that brought together more than 200 participants to explore family life as the foundation of society. The occasion included a presentation on the history of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and a discussion with those involved in its translation.
A central theme of these reflections was the relationship between spiritual principles and the many dimensions of human life. The Kitáb-i-Aqdas addresses both the individual’s relationship with God and the relationships that bind people together in families, communities, and society. Its laws, participants reflected, are intended to foster the spiritual and moral development of individuals while providing a foundation for an evolving social order.
Roland Stenberg, one of the translators, noted the importance of approaching the sacred writings through sustained study and collective reflection.
“We need to become familiar with the Bahá’í writings—to read them, discuss them, reflect on them, and consult together to deepen our understanding,” he said. “When they become a point of reference in our lives, they give us a foundation from which to act in the wider society.”
The Kitáb-i-Aqdas is Bahá’u’lláh’s book of laws, revealed in Arabic around 1873 while He was still imprisoned within the city of ‘Akká.
The authorized English translation of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas was first published in 1992, the year that marked the centenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s passing. Since then, translations into numerous other languages have followed.
Nikan Bergsmo Namdar, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Sweden, considered the publication in the context of a growing search for spiritual meaning in society. She observed that social structures, however necessary, cannot alone provide the foundations for a flourishing society.
“Form and structure need a core, an essence,” she said. “This is what spirituality offers humanity, that essence which transforms the heart.”
